


The vampire of Firenze

by Assassino21



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Assassination Attempt(s), Blood Drinking, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Cristina is Ezio's vampire girlfriend, Dark Fantasy, Ezio as vampire, Ezio has a neck fetish, Ezio is dressed in his black assassin outfit, F/M, Fiction persons, Fictional Creatures - Freeform, Fighting, Multi, Necromancy, Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Spying, Sword Fighting, Vaginal Sex, Vampire Bites, Vampires, Venezia | Venice, Witch Hunters, allternative story line
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-12-19
Packaged: 2018-11-15 09:09:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 58,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11227815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Assassino21/pseuds/Assassino21
Summary: You are a witchhunter in renaissance Italy. You are hired by Doge Domenico of Venice to track down a powerfull, charismatic, handsome and bloodthirsty vampire named Ezio Auditore da Firenze, who wants to bring an everlasting night to Venice.





	1. Seduction

The year is 1487 and it was around midnight in Venice, but it wasn't just any night, tonight it was Venetian carnaval. Everywhere around Venice people where wearing traditional masks, from the relativley cheap eye masks, to the very rare and expensive golden masks. Music, dancing, food and happiness where all around while people where at the plaza's to enjoy themselves. Like the young lady Cecilia, the daughter of Councillor Juliano.

"Hey girls, sorry I am a little late" Cecilia said as she ran towards her friends who where waiting at the Rialtobridge. The three girls and their dates looked at Cecilia who came closer. There was Allessandra, 23 years old, wearing a blue dress, she had blonde hair and a white mask with blue decorative lines that covered her entire face, she was with Antonio, the son of a silk merchant. The second girl in the green dress was called Emilia, 22 years old, she had black hair and wore a small white mask with golden edge that covered her eyes, her date was a man named Cristiano, one of the Doge's guards. The third girl was Isabella, 23 years old, with a red dress, also blonde hair and a black, feather decorated mask that covered her upper face. She was accompanied by an Ottoman merchant named Mehmet. Cecilia herself was 22 years old and in a yellow dress, had brown hair and wore a white mask decorated with several tiny red flowers and a gold edge, but unlike the other girls, she had no date.

"Were you searching for a date in all desperation?" was the first thing Emilia asked when Cecilia arrived. "Err...no" Cecilia said a bit shy, insulted by Emilia " I...didn't get a date, but that doesn't matter does it" Cecilia said.  
"Err..Yeah, it does matter" Isabella replied "Imagine how people would look at us if we are the only group where not everyone has a date!"  
Cecillia's voice stucked, she allways hated it when her friends cared more about their reputation then having fun.  
"Well...I...I am sure there are lots more who dont have a date" Cecilia said trying to save herself "Besides, we are comming here to have fun, don't we?!"  
"Yeah...if you weren't this sloppy in finding a date this night could actually be fun" Emilia said on a sarcastic tone.  
"But then again, who would date you if you are wearing that" Allessandra said as she pointed at Cecilia's dress "That dress is so 1470" she said and the other girls giggled  
Cecilia's eyes where filling up with tears "this...this dress was from my mother, i hold it very dear" She cried.  
"Sorry honey, go hold it dear somewhere else" Isabella said, and the giggeling group walked to the San Marco's Plaza, leaving Cecilia alone on the Rialtobridge. 

After a few seconds the last people had left the Rialtobridge, Cecilia was standing there all alone, she walked slowly to the wooden ledge. As soon as her reflection appeared, one of her tears fel in the water. Cecilia was crying for a while on the bridge, the only sound that came in between was a soft breeze of wind, that blew out the lanterns on the bridge, covering the place in darkness, only lightened by the moon. Cecilia tried to dry her tears, only her soft crying was to be heard, until, behind her, a silky smooth male voice said "Signora"  
Cecilia turned around a bit shocked, she saw a tall and masculine man standing next to her. "Where did he come from so suddenly?" she thought. He wore black, velvet robes, with long white sleeves and a black cloack. His upper body was covered with a silver decorated breastplate and one silk, red belt around his middle, with some kind of strange symbol that looked like an eagles beak. The robes on his lower body where double layerd and where reaching to his thighs, he wore long grey boots. The man had an open collar which revealed his neck and a part of his masculine upper body, he wore a small necklace. He had a black hood, which covered half of his face, the part that was to be seen showed that the man was wearing a silvery mask that revealed only his mouth. He was smoothly shaved and there was a vertical scar on the left side of his lip. The man put out his hand and offered Cecilia a white handkerchief.  
"Thank you signore" Cecilia said as she accepted the handkerchief and dried her tears  
"Pretty lady's shouldn't be crying on a night like this" The man said with the same smooth voice and a half smile.  
"I know" Cecilia sighed "Its just... my friends said some really mean things about me not having a date, and that my dress looks ugly"  
"Why would they say that?" the man asked.  
"They say its old fashioned, just because it belonged to my mother" Cecilia replied  
"Thats no reason to hurt you" the man said "this suit belonged to my father, and I am still wearing it" he said  
The man came a little closer and took Cecilias hand. "Where are my manners" he said as he kissed her hand, this made Cecilia blush. "My name is Ezio Auditore da Firenze" the man said "Now, i humbley ask permission to hear this bella donna's name" Ezio said with a little smirk on his face. Cecilia giggled "Cecilia" she replied with still a shy voice " Cecilia Battaglia da Venezia " she said as she looked to Ezio's hidden face.  
"Beautiful name" Ezio whispered as he put out his hand "Signora Battaglia, would you do me the honour of joining me to the dances on the San Marco's Plaza?" Ezio asked  


Cecilia didn't now what to say, this all happened so fast, she only knew Ezio for like 2 minutes, and now he was allready asking her on a date. But... there was something about him...Cecilia couldn't tell what it was, but it convinced her to go with him, it was like magic. "I...I will" she stuttered as she took Ezio's hand. 

Cecilia was walking along with Ezio to the San Marco's Plaza, she was a lot more comfortable now, while holding the hand of this tall stranger. She saw people look at her and Ezio, and some of them where even jealous looks. Cecilia giggled softly, Ezio looked at her with a warm smile "I am glad you are enjoying yourself" he said with his smooth voice. "Thank you" Cecilia said, she still was figuring out why everything went so perfect all of the sudden, but she didn't feel like complaining right now. 

They arrived at the crowded San Marco's Plaza, the whole place was lightened up with candles, lanterns, fires and all other lights. There where various bands, musicians and singers playing, a large stage was standing near the enterance of the Doge palace. Stalls, jesters, food and drinks where all around. People's outfits varied from a single mask to entire costumes, everyone seemed to have a good time. Cecilia and Ezio were talking and laughing together while drinking some wine. Cecilia got to know Ezio a little better, but still she could not understand him at all, he was by her side for about an hour or two, but still he stayed so mysterious, the only emotions he showed were his warm, deep smiles. On that moment the conductor on the musicstage clapped in his hands. "Signore e Signori! Tonight for your entertainment, we have the famous opera band 'La notte Italiana' singing for you tonight." Everyone applauded when the opera singers took their place on stage and started singing. Cecilia recognized the song, it was called 'Dreams of Venice'. "I love this song" she said cheerfully "its so beautiful". Ezio smirked and drank the last bit of his wine, he put out his hand "shall we dance, signora?" he asked. Cecilia blushed "I would love to...but" she looked at the crowd talking and laughing "you can barely hear the music through all this racket" she sighed. Ezio smiled "Nessun problema" he said, and all of the sudden, all Cecilia heard was the male opera singing, the voices of the crowd were gone. 

She looked at the crowd, everyone was still there, but no one was talking, everyone seemed like they where in some kind of trance. Only 'Dreams of Venice' was to be heard. "How...how...?" Cecilia said confused, but Ezio didn't reply, he put out his hand again and gave her again such a warm but mysterious smile. Cecilia laid her shaking hand in Ezio's palm, and the two walked to the center of the Plaza. Weird enough, people made room for them, still not saying a word, not even a breath. Cecilia had no idea what was going on, maybe it was all some kind of game, or this was a very worked out plan by Ezio. The crowd had moved on a way that there was a large open circle in the middle of them and the stage. When Cecilia and Ezio arrived Cecilia looked around even more confused 'did it just get darker?' she tought as she looked at the candles and lanterns. She looked to the sky and her eyes widened. Even the moon got brighter, lightening up only the small circle where she and Ezio where in. "Ezio, what is going on?" She asked to Ezio, who didn't seem to think all of this was strange. "The thing that is happening is that I am goign to give you the night of your life, bella donna" he whispered and took her hands, he pulled Cecilia towards him and took her other hand. "I shall lead" Ezio smiled. 

Cecilia and Ezio where dancing together in the middle of the crowd under the brighter moonlight. Cecilia was constant afraid that she made a mistake with dancing and made a fool of herself, but it didn't happen, it all went so smooth and perfect, and this while Cecilia wasn't this much of a dancer. "You are a wonderfull dancer" Ezio whispered, Cecilia blushed and looked away, she noticed that everyone was still watching them, without moving a muscle or saying a word. She and Ezio where also the only ones dancing. "Ezio, everyone is watching us" Cecilia whispered a little nervous, but still it didn't seemed to bother Ezio "no wonder" he said "they have every reason to look at a beautiful lady like you" he said.  
Cecilia giggled softly "stop it" she whispered, but Ezio didn't stop  
"People are so jealous for not having a marvelous evening star like you" he whispered as he came closer to her ears. Cecilia was pressed against Ezio's masculine chest, and suddenly it was getting much warmer, even hotter "Even the moon recognizes your beauty" he whispered in her ear, Cecilia felt her muscles turn into jelly by those words, but Ezio was holding her in place. "You even shame Venus herself" he spoke softly in her ear, Cecilia was almost passing out in Ezio's arms, his words were hypnotizing, combined with the heat, the alcohol, the dancing and Ezio's smooth voice, it was too much. 

On that moment the music stopped and the crowd came back to life, everyone cheered and applauded. Ezio took Cecilias hand and kissed it "it was truely an honour to dance with you tonight signora Battaglia" he said smiling. On that moment, Allessandra, Emilia and Isabella came forward and ran towards Cecilia. "Where have you learned to dance like that?" Allessandra asked almost in shock.  
"You where absolutely amazing!" Emilia said with tears in her eyes.  
"You have to give me the name of your dance tutor" Isabella said.  
"Thanks you guys" Cecilia smiled "it was all so perfect, but also strange, suddenly nobody was talking and the lights where..." Cecilia looked around, the lights and candles where shining normal again.  
"I...I dont know what happend then" Isabella said a bit shocked "I wanted to talk, to ask what was going on, but it was like...well...something kept me in place, forced me to keep quiet."  
"Yeah, I felt that too" Emilia said "scarry right" she said with a nervous smile.  
On that moment Ezio came to Cecilia with two glasses of wine in his hand "signora" he smiled and offered Cecilia one glass.  
"Oh thank you" Cecilia said "Guys, this is Ezio, he is my date for tonight" Cecilia said, showing off a little.  
"Signori" Ezio said and bowed for the three women. "Err...h..hello" Allessandra said. Nobody of them spoke another word, they just looked at Ezio. Cecilia saw that they where trying to speak, to find words, but it didn't came out. Allessandra, Isabella and Emilia where caught up in Ezio's look, like they where enchanted. 

The silence between them was broken by another band playing. "Come, lets dance " Isabella said. Cecilia smiled, she wanted to go, but suddenly, she felt tired, very tired, like she danced all day. Cecilia collapsed, Ezio catched her just in time. "Cecilia, are you allright?" Isabella asked worried, and the other girls came closer as well. "Yeah, I am fine " Cecilia said "I am just so tired, I don't know why" Ezio helped Cecilia up "no wonder signora, its long passed midnight and a lot happened today, you should get some rest" Ezio said with his smooth, seductive voice.  
"Y...Yes...I think thats it, I should get some rest" Cecilia said.  
Ezio smiled "I shall escort you home" he said.  
Isabella's eyes narrowed "Err...no, maybe its better if she stayes with us" she said and took Cecilia's arm.  
"Its okay...I just" Cecilia tried to say, but Isabella interupted her "Please Cecilia, don't go with him" she whispered worried, Cecilia was surprised when she heard Isabella almost cry.  
Ezio came closer and looked Isabella in the eye, deep in the eye. Cecila felt Isabella's grip weaken, as soon as she was released Ezio took her in his arms. Cecilia looked at Isabella, she was shaking and looked terrified. Cecilias eyes widened as she saw Isabellas breath turn into condens. It was not even winter, but it looked like Isabella was freezing. "What..." Cecilia said, but Ezio whispered in her ear "I shall take you home, bella donna". And with that Cecilia walked with Ezio, she felt like turning back, and to see if Isabella was allright, but something was stopping her, she still didn't know what the mysterious, smirking Ezio was doing to her. 

After about 15 minutes, Ezio and Cecilia arrived at the vila of Councillor Juliano Battaglia, Cecilia's father. "Here it is" Cecilia said and walked to the front door, she looked at Ezio and blushed "T..thank you for the wonderfull night" she stuttered, still uncertain what to think of him. Ezio took her hand and kissed it one more time "the pleasure was all mine, signora" he said and looked Cecilia in the eyes. Cecilia and Ezio kept eyecontact for a second, despite Ezio was still in his hood and his mask, she could clearly see his eyes. "Do you want to come in" a voice said, out of no where. Cecilia shocked, but Ezio kept smiling, he didn't hear it. "Was it...was it in my head?" Cecilia thought. Then she heard the voice again "Do you want to come in, say it now! Do you want to come in!" the voice said in her head when she still didn't broke eyecontact with Ezio. Cecilia opened her mouth to speak "Do you... do you want..."She stuttered.  
Ezio's devilish smile grew "Yes..." he whispered like he knew what was happening.  
"Do you want to come in?" Cecilia asked with an excited, but terrified voice.  
"With pleasure" Ezio smiled, Cecilia opened the door and welcomed the man in to her house.

Cecilia opened the door of her bedroom and lightened a few candles, Ezio followed slowly and watched Cecilia open the window to let some fresh air come in. "Nice room you have " Ezio said as he looked around while slowly comming closer to Cecilia. There was a large wooden Canopy bed on the right side of the room, covered with silk blankets and pillows, right in front of the bed was a make-up table with a large mirror. Cecilia stood in the window opening, overlooking the empty street, Ezio stood behind her, slowly raised his hands and laid them on Cecilia's shoulders. Cecilia moaned softly as she felt Ezio's warm hands on her shoulders, despite her dress coverd them, she could still feel the heat reaching her flesh. Ezio brought his still covered face closer to Cecilia's neck and placed a kiss on it, and another one. He made a trail of kisses as he slowly pulled the dress from her shoulders. Cecilia enjoyed the sensation of the warm Venetian air, and Eizo's hot lips touching her skin, as soon as her shoulders where undressed Ezio stepped back, Cecilia turned around and looked at the tall, dark man. "Lets turn off the lights a little" Ezio whispered, he raised his hand in the air, and with that the flames on the candles shrunk in size. Cecilia looked full of amazement "Are you...some kind of illusionist?" she asked. Ezio smiled and took off his hood "Much more then that baby" he whispered, and with that he took off his mask. Cecilia softly gasped as she looked at Ezio's revealed face. Ezio looked around 26 or 27 years old, had brownish, half long hair and dark eyebrows, his brown eyes looked just as inviting and sexy as hypnotizing and mysterious. Ezio's skin was perfectly clear and smoothly shaved, even the scar on his big lips gave it an extra touch of beauty, truly an attractive man. Ezio stepped closer to Cecilia, gently took her mask in his hands and removed it, revealing Cecilia's full face. Ezio smiled, brought his face to Cecilia and kissed her on her lips. 

Ezio kept kissing with Cecilia while he slowly walked to the canopy bed with her, when he was near the edge of the bed he pushed her down. Ezio took off his armor, cloack and shirt. Leaving his whole upper body revealed to Cecilia. Cecilia came up and wrapped her arms around Ezio's masculine and hairy chest while she kissed him. Ezio laid his arms on Cecilias shoulders, pushed her on the bed and went on top of her, still not breaking lipcontact. Ezio slowly brought his face down over Cecilias chin, on her throat and onto her neck, leaving again a trail of kisses. Meanwhile he pulled her dress down until Cecilia's upper body was revealed to him. Cecilia enjoyed everyone of Ezio's touches, she moaned loudly when Ezio laid a hand under her back, lifted her up slightly so she was pressed tighter to him, and he tasted her neck even better. Ezio's hands released Cecilias dress and carresed over her middle and ended on Cecilia's breasts. "Sei bellissima amore mio" Ezio whispered into Cecilia's ear as he circled his hand around her left breast. Ezio brought his face down over her shoulders, stuck his tongue out and touched Cecilia's breast with the tip of his tongue. Cecilia closed her eyes and moaned as Ezio's agile tongue traveled its way over her nipple. Ezio brought his hands down again and followed them with his chin, which was followed by his tongue. Ezio stayed by Cecilias bellybutton for a while, teasing it with his tongue as he pulled her dress from her thighs. As soon as Cecilia's dress reached her ankles, Ezio pulled it off compeletley and laid himself on his fully naked misteress. He kissed her bellybutton one more time before his shaved face went even further down. Ezio reached the first of Cecilia's pubic hair, he traveled trough it with his nose, until he found her more interesting parts. Cecilia moaned softly as Ezio his tongue and warm breath traveled around the edges of her vagina, Ezio's tongue worked its way from the edge more and more to the center until he found the crownjewel in his lover. 

Cecilia shut her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of Ezio's tongue caressing her clitoris, she grabbed Ezio's head and pushed him softly towards her. "You taste amazing" Ezio whispered, Cecilia moaned again as she felt Ezio's warm breath and voice vibrations on her clitoris. Cecilia wanted to come up but Ezio's hand pushed her down on the bed "Stay down amore mio" he said on a threatning tone and then continued his work on her vagina again. "Ez..Ezio" Cecilia moaned as she felt her orgasm comming closer and closer, she grabbed the blankets and grabbed Ezio's head with her thighs, Ezio eagerly continued while his lover was moaning with immense pleasure. "Ezio...I'm" Cecilia moaned loudly, and then she couldn't hold it anymore, like a volcano she cummed over Ezio's lips. Ezio moaned softly as he felt her warm fluid over his face, he came up, brought his fingers over his lips and his scar and looked at them "Look at the mess you made, you naughty girl" he smirked and came closer to Cecilia. Ezio put out his fingers and placed them on Cecilia's lips "taste how delicious you are" he said softly, with that Cecilia opened her mouth and licked Ezio's finger, tasting her own salty flavor. Ezio gasped softly as he looked at the woman licking his fingers, his eyes traveling to Cecilia's eyes. The moment Cecilia made eyecontact with Ezio, she heard the strange voice out of now where in her head again. "Take me Ezio" the voice said "Say that you want to have him inside of you, say it now! Take me Ezio!". Cecilia opened her mouth to say it, still doubting if she should, and still thinking what on earth was happening to her, but she couldn't resist, it just didn't work. "Take me Ezio" Cecilia said softly, the words were said and Cecilia allready had her doubts, she was still a virgin, she never had a man, and now she put her complete trust in a man she only met tonight. "As you wish signora" Ezio smirked as he took his belt off, he kicked off his boots and moved his pants from his legs, within seconds he was completely naked. 

Cecilia really wanted to see Ezio's member, but the man kept her forced down on the bed with his hands. Ezio placed himself on top of Cecilia and aimed his dick on the right place, Cecilia was breathing heavy when she felt Ezio's tip touch her sensetive parts. Ezio caressed her face "Don't be afraid, you can do this" he whispered to her, and with that he pushed his dick inside of her, breaking her virginity. Cecilia hissed for a few seconds and grabbed the blankets, Ezio's length and sudden agression came unexpected, but after a few seconds it felt wonderfull. Cecilia moaned louder and louder according to Ezio's rythm, Ezio placed his arms under Cecilias back, lifted her up slightly and pushed her further down his member. Cecilia wrapped her legs around the masculine body of her lover, trying to get all of his dick inside. "Your so warm and thight" Ezio moaned as he increased his speed. Cecilia moaned loudly as Ezio deflowered her with great power, Ezio brought his hands to Cecilias face and kissed her on her lips while only moving his lower body. After a minute Ezio released his lips from Cecilia's "I...I am cumming " Cecilia moaned softly, Ezio brought his body up and fucked his lover harder "Thats the spirit baby" he said "Lets just see how many orgasms you can handle before you collapse!" he smirked. Ezio brought his fucking to maximum speed and made sure Cecilia got all of his length. Cecilia was completley powerless, all she could do was lay back and enjoy. Cecilia came closer and closer to cumming, she balded her fists and shouted out as she reached her point of no return, and then she cummed, an intense heatwave travelled through her body "Thats it, nasty girl, come over my dick" Ezio moaned as he kept fucking Cecilia deep and mercilessly hard. Cecilia had barley time to recover, she felt another orgasm comming up. She moaned out loudly again as the heatwave appeared again and gave her another divine orgasm, and a fourth, fifth, sixt. On a certain point she lost count, and she totally lost her mind, and Ezio just kept fucking with the same speed and agression. Cecilias orgasms just kept comming and comming, she could barley move any more, she just laid there and took it all. She knew that women could have multiple orgasms but this was getting ridiculous, almost unnatural, another thing that was amazing was Ezio's endurance "How on earth does he last this long?" she thouht, Ezio was fucking Cecilia for over an hour, and he didn't cum once, he just changed rythm and position every now and then. Cecilia smiled weakly, "This can't be a mortal man" she thought "this must be an angel, taking me right to heaven". Cecilia could be right, the way she felt was like she was in paradise itself. When she reached abouth her 20th orgasm, Ezio moaned loudly "I am cumming baby", he gave her a few more hard thrusts and with a loud scream, which was more like a roar he shot his load deep inside his lover. 

Ezio placed himself on Cecilia, sweating and breathing like a madmen "You drained me of much strenght today, amore mio" he sighed. "Ezio...you...where...amazing" Cecilia moaned still recovering from the sensation Ezio gave her. Ezio laid his hands on her shoulders and kissed Cecilia on her mouth. "Must...recover...strenght" he moaned and brought his mouth to her neck kissing it with great passion "Your neck is so delicious" he said as he started to kiss more furious. Cecilia came sitting up and wrapped her arms around Ezio, Ezio wrapped his arms around her as well. Cecilia had her eyes closed and enjoyed Ezio kissing, licking and sometimes nibbling her neck. She opened her eyes, and allmost gained a heart attack when she looked in the mirror. She saw herself sitting naked on the bed, but Ezio wasn't there, she saw just herself wrapping her arms around air, Ezio had no reflection. The tears sprang into Cecilia's eyes as Ezio still kissed her "You...You don't have... a reflection" she stuttered crying. Ezio chuckled softly, on such a mysterious, dark and cruel way that it brought a shiver down Cecilia's spine. Suddenly the flames on the candles dissapeared, covering the room in darkness, also it got colder, much colder. "It doesn't matter anymore now, bella donna" Ezio hissed with his lips still on her neck. Cecilia panicked and tried to break free, but Ezio was way to strong. "You found out too late" Ezio said, and with that, the last things that Cecilia experienced was Ezio's loud growl, his two sharp canines penatrating her neck and her last icey scream that filled the night. 

( Hopefully you enjoyed my story so far, in the next part the reader is involved. My apologies for any writing mistakes. Feel free to leave feedback, both tips and tops are welcome :D )


	2. The Witch hunter

Your boat arrived at the harbour of the San Marco's Plaza near the Doge's palace. As soon as the ship was tied to the pannage on the docks, one of the sailors came with your luggage. "(Your name ), i have gathered all your belongings, please enjoy your stay in Venezia". You thanked the sailor for the trip and payed him 100 Florins, you walked onto the streets on your way to Doge Domenico.

While you walked to the palaza of the Doge, people looked at you. You did look like a normal traveller, you wore a black tunic and a black hat, you carried two suitcases with your belongings. You did carry weapons though, a Milanese style sword, a dagger, a rare prototype handpistol and a bag with some more gadgets. When you arrived at the enterance of the Palazzo, the guards stopped you "Halt traveller! it is forbidden for you to enter" one of them said, you smiled "Not for me" you said "The Doge has asked me personally to come to him, so if you please would let me pass"  
The guards looked at eachother "Your inventation papers" one of them said, you grabbed a document out of your pocket and showed it to the guards.  
The guards inspected it "Hmmm, ( your name ), Witch hunter, invited by Doge Domenico. Yes, its all here." the guard said and walked to the palace "Follow me please Signore/Signora."

The doors of the Doges rooms where opened by the guards and you were welcomed in. "Ah, ( your name ) I am so glad you could come this soon." Doge Domenico said as he came towards you to greet you. When the Doge was near you, you went on your knees, kissed the Doge's ring and went back up. "Of course, signore" you said "I came as quickly as i could from Ancona when i recieved your message" you said. You took a quick look at the Doge, he was in his traditional yellow robes with a white cloack and a yellow hat, he looked around 60 years old, was 1,75 meters tall and a little chubby. "Tell me more about what happened" You said, the Doge nodded "Yes, the last weeks, there where reports from people gone missing, and people who where killed by someone, or something" The Doge said, you listened attentivley "Are you sure the killer is a vampire?" you asked to the Doge.  
"Yes, positive" the Doge said "We recognized the bitemarks in the necks of the various vitims, usually we hushed up these incidents in order not to cause unrest. But more and more attacks are comming, including one on the daughter of one of my councillors." The Doge finished, you nodded "The councillor, is he here right now?"  
"No" The Doge replied "He is at his home, it only happened two days ago, he wanted to stay at home and mourn, he did not bury the body, so you can do some research."  
"That might help us further signore, thank you" you said "How do i come to his villa?" you asked.  
On that moment two guards came in. "Its not far from here, about a 15 minute walk, Mario and Paulo will bring you there" the Doge said and appointed you to his two guards. "Grazie Signore" you said, bowed one last time for the Doge and followed the two guards.

"Signore Battaglia" The guard said to the councillor Juliano Battaglia who sat in the living room of his villa "Pardon for interupting, the witch hunter is here"  
"Ah, send him in" The councillor said, still sobbing.  
"You can come in Signore/Signora" the guard said to you, you came into the living room of the Battaglia villa. The living room was not very large, but quite comfy. 2 couches and some chairs stood in the room along with a table. The room was decorated with some paintings, cabinets and small statue's. Councillor Battaglia sat on the right couch crying softly, on the left couch where three young ladies. You bowed for the councillor " ( your name ), at your service, signore" you said.  
"Witch hunter, I am so glad you are here" the councillor said "please, take a seat" the man said as he offered you a chair.  
"These are Cecilia's friends, Allessandra, Emilia and Isabella" the councillor said, introducing the three women while you placed yourself on a chair.  
"Pleased to meet you, signori" you said to the ladies "and my deepest compassion to you all" you said. The councillor and the girls nodded in gratitude. You then looked at the girls sitting on the couch "Signori, you where with her the night it happend?" you asked, the three girls nodded softly "Can you please tell me what happend exactly" you said.

The girl named Isabella sighed and started talking "It was at the night of the carnavalle, we would meet at the Rialtobridge to go to the party at San Marco's Plaza" she said.  
"Didn't Cecilia show up?" you asked, Isabella shaked her head "no, we saw her, but she didn't go with us, mainly because we bullied her about not having a date." Isabella took a hankerchief to whipe her tears away.  
The girl named Emilia continued "after an hour or two we saw her at the Plaze with a man, that was him, that was the vampire." She said madly  
"How where you so sure about it?" you asked, Emilia was thinking, struggeling to find words "Its hard to explain, but..." she said and thought again, you gave her time to think. "At some point, everybody on the Plaza stopped talking, and we all watched two people coming forward to dance, those where Cecilia and the vampire" Emilia continued "It was weird but, we couldn't move, or talk, it was like something was forcing us to watch." She said, meanwhile you took a notebook and a pencil out of your pocket and started writing down the information.  
Allessandra continued the story where Emilia left off "when they where done dancing we could move again, weird enough the first things we asked was how she could dance so good" she said " Then the vampire came towards us, Cecilia mentioned his name, it was Ezio." Allessandra said.  
"Ezio..." you repeated "did you hear a surname?" you asked hopefully, but the girls shaked their heads, you wrote down the name 'Ezio'.  
"Do you remember what this...Ezio looked like?" you asked, the girls were thinking for a while.  
"Well, he wore large black robes with white sleeves and a black cloack" Isabella said "Also silver chest armor, a red belt with a triangle symbol in the middle". You were writing down everything that Isabella said. "We didn't see his face, he wore a mask and a black hood, which covered half his face" she said.  
"Did you really not see anything on his face at all?" you asked, Allessandra gasped "Yes" she said "he had a vertical scar on his left lip" she said. You where happy with this clue and wrote it down.  
"What happened next?" you asked. Isabella sighed "Cecilia said she was very tired, and Ezio offered to take her home, I tried to keep her with us" she said  
"Didn't you trust it? " you asked, Isabella shaked her head "No..." she said with tears walking down her cheeck "The whole time I looked at him...I knew something wasn't right." Isabella took a second to dry her tears and continued "I tried to keep her with us, but...but then, Ezio...that THING...he did something with me, it was like I was standing in the North Pole. I couldn't move, it was like I was frozen" Isabella said. The councillor looked confused "How is that possible?" he asked.  
"I will answer that in a minute" you said "But first, please, continue" you said to Isabella.  
Isabella continued " When she was gone with that vampire, I started to worry, after a while I was so afraid something would happen to her, the girls and me went to her house"

  _The night of the Carnavalle_

_"Isabella wait!" Emilia shouted to Isabella as the three girls ran through the streets, Isabella stopped at a squire and looked where to go in panic " So Cecilia found a mysterious guy, is that really the reason to worry this much?" Allessandra asked, Isabella turned her tearfilled face to Allessandra "Don't you think all of this is strange?!" she shouted "At the dance, we couldn't move or talk and no one has an explanation for that, Cecilia is suddenly very tired and this guy wants to take her home" Isabella cried "Didn't you guys feel something was wrong about him, didn't you see it when you looked at him?!" Emilia and Allessandra looked terrified and confused to eachoter. "Never mind, I am going to find her" Isabella said and ran into the right corridor. Isabella turned right, and left, she saw the blacksmith "good" she thought "Cecilia's house is nearby". She ran as fast as she could, allmost falling over her dress. When the 3 girls arrived at the Battaglia villa, the air was suddenly filled with a horrible, icey womens scream. Isabella gained goosbumps from the sound, but she recognized the voice "Cecilia...CECILIA!" she shouted and the three girls ran to the house, they slammed the door open, made their way up the stairs and with a loud kick opened the bedroom door. Isabella was the first one in the room._

_Isabella screamed loudly and Emila and Allessandra put their hands for their mouth in shock. Cecilia laid in her bed, naked, and dead, she had two small holes in her neck where the blood was still coming out from. She had her eyes open, like she could stand up any minute, but she didn't move a muscle, and this while the holes where not that deep, and she didn't loose that much blood. The three girls looked around the room, but the mysterious man was no where to be found._

 The three girls and the Councillor started sobbing and crying softly, you gave them a minute and wrote down the story you just heard. "Why...why couldn't she just ran off?" Allessandra asked "she must have known she was in danger, why did she stay?" she asked.

You laid your notebook on the table and sighed "I have encountered several vampires in Transylvania and in the lands of the Holy Roman Empire, there are some things you should know about them" you said.  
"Vampires use incredible powerful magic to get what they want, or who they want." you explained "you can try to resist it but its nearly impossible, No doubt Cecilia thought about leaving, but Ezio's magic stopped her from doing so. This might also explain why you suddenly felt frozen Isabella and also why nobody could move or talk during the dance." you said  
You rubbed your hands and thought how to continue, you eventually said "Ezio must be a really powerfull vampire, most vampires have the power to control 4 or 5 people at the same time, but if he can control an entire crowd with ease, I am affraid his powers are immensly strong." you said. You rubbed over your head and continued your explanation "The funny thing about vampires is, is that they never go in someones home, unless the owner invites them to. Normally people would not even consider it, but vampires are cunning, Ezio must have hypnotized her, forcing her to say what he wanted to hear." you said.  
"How can you tell when someone is...hypnotized?" Emilia asked.  
"Well survivors of vampire attacks claimed to have heared voices in their heads, telling them what to do. " you explained.  
"So Ezio forced Cecilia to invite him into the house, without her knowing?" Isabella asked.  
"Yes" you said, you laid your hand on your chin and thought for a moment. "I am not 100 percent sure why she was naked" you said "vampires oftenly like to play with their victims before biting them, my guess is that they went to the bedroom together, they made love and then he bited her." you said.  
On that moment, the councillor stood up, mad "Watch your tongue witch hunter!" he shouted "Cecilia was a clean virgin, how dare you to claim without any proof, that she was deflowered by such an unholy demon?!" he said angry.  
"Vampires are extremley manipulative" you said in defence "Once someone has fallen under their spell, they don't have a mind of their own anymore. Forgive me councillor, but if this happened to you, even you would have shared the bed with him." you said, the councillor seemed to disagree and tried to find words, eventually he placed himself at the cough again, still angry. 

"The Doge told me that you waited to bury Cecilia, in order to mourn" you said to the Councillor "Where is Cicilia being held for now?" you asked  
"She lays still in her room" the councillor said "I only dressed her in a nightskirt and covered her with the blanket, I made no further changes." he said  
"Is it okay with you if I examine her, so I can find some more clues?" you asked humbley, the councillor nodded "of course" he said.  
You stood up, took your stuff with you and went to the door "I will be back in an hour" you said and went upstairs


	3. Discoveries and explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find an interesting clue about Ezio, also you tell some more of your knowledge about vampires.

You came on the second floor of the Battaglia villa. On the right of the corridor was a balcony, a little further the master bedroom and on the left was Cecilia's room, the door was closed.

You opened your suitcase, took a mask out in the shape of a crows beak. A medical mask used by doctors. When you had the mask on, you grabbed some gloves out of the suitcase and also put them on. " this should be decent protection." You thought and opened the door of the room.  
The first thing you saw was the canopy bed where someone laid on, covered in a blanket, that was Cecilia. You came closer to the bed, her face was covered with the blankets, you carefully removed them and looked at the girl " shame " you thought as you looked at her " she was a pretty woman ". You opened your suitcase and took two things out: a white feather and a small tube with a chemical mixture.  
You came closer to Cecilia's body, you pushed her head slightly right so the bitemarks were seen. Despite Cecilia was dead for two days, her wounds where still moist and bloody. You slided the feather over her wound, when it absorbed some of the blood you put it into the tube. After a few seconds the chemicals turned dark red and cloudy. You closed the tube and continued your research, you opened Cecilia's mouth to inspect her teeth " no mutations" you thought. After that you took a magnifying glass with a blue coloured glass out of your suitcase, you opened Cecilia's eyes with your fingers and inspected her eyes with the glass " also nothing there " you thought. 

After a short check on Cecilia's body you looked around the room for any more clues, there was little to be seen in the room though. You saw a mirror in front of the bed, so you guessed thats when Cecilia saw that Ezio was a vampire, and made the scream that Isabella described. Your eyes fell on the closed window, there was a dark spot on the white stone that caught your attention, you took another magnifying glass out of your suitcase, this ones glass was light red. You looked through it at the window sill, the room was red through the glass, but the dot was completely black. "Blood mixed with vampire saliva" you thought. Your guess was that Ezio escaped through the window and still had some blood on his teeth that fell down. 

You finished after 30 minutes, there was not much else to be seen in the room, you walked out of the bedroom, closed the door and went into the corridor. You wanted to walk down until your eyes fell upon the floor of the hallway, you saw another dark dot, simmiliar to the one you saw in the window sill. You took your red magnifying glass and inspected the dot, blood with vampire saliva. You looked confused, this didn't make any sense, why would the vampire go into the hallway? You walked to the dot of blood and looked if you saw any more of them in the corridor, there was one, near the door of the master bedroom. You slowly walked to the door, your hearth was beating loudly in your chest, afraid that you encountered another dead body. The door was open, you glimsed inside the room, it was empty, no dead bodies, but yet another blooddot. You came into the master bedroom. There was a two person canopy bed on the right side of the room, a cabinet next to it and in a closet front. And a window in the back of the room with a desk near to it. "What would the vampire do in the Councillors room?" you thought as you looked around "Searching for other victims perhaps". You looked around, but nothing prooved that Ezio was searching for the councillor, there where no dots on the bed, but there was a dot near the closet. Your eyes narrowed "Or the vampire searched for something else" you thought. You came near the closet, took the handle in your hand and opened the door with care. Except from a few books, papers and clothes there was nothing really special in the closet, you where so caught up in thoughts that you shocked from a loud voice saying "Witch hunter!" 

You gasped and saw the councillor in the doorway, looking angry at you "What are you doing in my bedroom?!" he asked mad. You took a deep breath and bowed "Please forgive me for comming into your room without permission signore" you said "but I found something that might interest you." you said, this seemed to calm the councillor down a bit. You gave your red magnifying glass to the councillor "Please, look at the ground near your closet" you said. The councillor did as you told him "Do you see the black dot?" you asked, the councillor nodded.  
"Thats Cecilia's blood mixed with the vampires saliva" you explained, the councillor seemed to forget all about that you broke in to his room, he started thinking as well.  
"Whats it doing here then?" he asked to you, you raised your shoulders. "First I thought the vampire was looking for you" you explained "but there is no blood on your bed, so I guess the vampire searched for something". On that moment you heard some more footsteps into the hallway, Isabella, Emilia and Allessandra also entered the room.  
"The vampire looked inside my closet" the councillor said disgusted "so he is also a thief!" he shouted, but you shaked your head.  
"Vampires don't care for human items." you explained, but then something came up in your mind "unless...unless it contains magic." you said.  
The councillor crossed his arms and looked away "I have no such heretic garbage in my closet." he said as innocent as he could, you gave him a little smile "people are not allways aware of magical items" you said "but, I belive you on your words, signore" you said as you noticed the councillor looked mad at you again. 

"Wait a minute" Isabella said suddenly "The vampire entered this room after he killed Cecilia?" she asked, you nodded as respons.  
"thats impossible" she said "when Cecilia screamed, we where near the front door, as soon as we came upstairs there was no one to be found, how could he search the room and escape in a matter of seconds? " she asked confused.  
The councillor, Emilia and Allessandra also looked at you, waiting for an answer. "When fresh, warm blood slides down a vampires throat, his powers are at their strongest" you explained "One of those powers is extreme speed, I guess Ezio raged through the room, searching for something and when he heard you come in he escaped through the Window." you said.  
The girls and the councillor seemed quite shocked by your explanation. Allessandra stuttered "Y..you said one...one of those powers" she said "what kind of powers do vampires have more then?" she asked, you where thinking for a moment, making a list of the vampires powers inside your head.  
"I mentioned extreme speed, and you also know he can manipulate and hypnotize people and animals, and sometimes influence weather" you said "further powers can be extreme physical strenght, agility and a strong sense of smell. They can grow extremley old, some of them are even immortal. Also they have transfiguration powers" you explained, the councillor gulped at the last word "What can he become then?" he asked frightened.  
"In most cases bats, wolfs or cats" you explained "very powerfull vampires have the power to change into fog, or a Vargheist."  
The girls and the councillor looked confused "(your name), what is a Vargheist?" Emilia asked.  
"I encountered those in the Holy Roman empire" you said "Its a terrible flying monster, 3 times the size of a human, with long coloured hairs, razor sharp fangs and claws, you could say its a heavely mutated bat." you explained, you saw on the body language of the four people in front of you that they hoped you where making this up. 

"I have some good news though" you said, trying to ease the tension a bit. You opened your suitcase and took the closed tube with the chemicals out. "I examined your daughters body, signore" you said "Fortunately, the vampire is not contagious. " you explained as you showed the bottle with the dark red chemicals to the coucillor "I absorbed some of his saliva, if he was contagious, the chemicals in this tube would have turned black. Also your daughters body have shown no signs of vampiric mutation."  
The councillor seemed releaved, but Isabella a bit worried "So, you are saying, that if he was contagious...Cecilia would have...turned into one?" she asked with a shaking voice, you nodded. "There is one more way for people to turn into vampires" you explained "If someone comes into contact with a large dosis of dark magic." you explained. The councillor sighed, he didn't want to hear this 'heresy', but the girls where all ears "The dark powers corrupt the body" you explained "forcing it to live differently, you can no longer survive on water and food, but you will need to drink blood to stay alive." you said. 

The girls listened fascinated to you story, the councillor started to pay some attention as well "Vampires do have several weaknesses though" you said "I think you know that they can't stand sunlight. The sent of garlic disturbes their sense of smell, and can make them confused, or dizzy" you said and focused your attention to the councillor " I mentioned earlier that vampires can only come in someones house if they are invited" you said, the councillor nodded.  
"Once he has been invited in, he can choose to come back any time he likes, so I advice you to spread as much garlic as possible in your house, also make sure every room has a crucifix." you said, the councillor understood and nodded thankfully.  
"Other strange things about vampires is that they have an extreme need to count everything that comes in their path" you explained "why is that?" Isabella asked.  
"I am not sure " you said "there are some theories that vampires have no sense of direction, and find their way home by things they have counted. So vampires can be confused easily if you would place something extra in their way home" you explained  
"Another thing is that they have a very hard time crossing water, they really need to rely on help for that" you said and smiled a little "Good thing that we are in Venice then" you said. "The last weakness I know is that they need blood to survive and uphold their power, they can lent for quite a while, but if they don't drink for too long they will die"  
"So we just have to prevent him from drinking blood" the councillor said hopefull.  
"Easier said than done " you said "Vampires usually have a blood supply hidden somewhere, if he is weakend, the supply blood can restore the vampire to his original strenght, but they will need fresh, warm blood to reach their maximum power. " 

You took your suitcases and walked to the door "I have to continue my research" you said " I want to know what Ezio was looking for, maybe I can find out who his next victim will be" you said, you where at the point of walking out of the room, but the girls stopped you "Signore/Signora (your name), let us help you" Emilia said.  
You smiled "I apriciate it, signori, but I don't want to bring you into trouble" you said.  
"We dont care" Allessandra said "Cecilia's dead was partly our fault as well" she said.  
"We want to make Ezio pay for what he did to her." Isabella said.  
Before you could give an answer the councillor stepped closer "I will help you as well, witch hunter" he said "If you want to make this a big opperation, it is good to have an ally in the council of 10."  
You where thinking for a moment, on one side you didn't want to cause any more trouble for them, but on the other hand they had good arguments, and you could use all the help you could get. "Fine" you sighed, but with a thankfull smile. "Then come with me, we have much to do" you said as the five of you walked downstairs.


	4. Ezios new target

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have a clue who Ezios next target shall be, but will you be in time before the vampire can satisfy his 'bloody' will?

Councillor Battaglia had arranged that you could get a private and guarded room in the Doges palace to work on your research. Isabella, Allessandra and Emilia where allways nearby and helped with anything they could.  
It was around 10 o'clock in the evening and you were in your room, sitting behind a desk inspecting some documents of the last two days. It was allmost a shame for you to look at them, 4 attacks in the last 2 nights. You took a sip of a new kind of drink that came from the Ottoman merchants, they called it 'coffee', it tasted a bit bitter, but it kept you awake.

You looked at the details of the attacks, 2 young women have been found dead at the Santi Giovanni e Paolo church, with the same bitemarks. 1 man was found on the island of Giudecca on one of the streets. The last attack cought your attention, the son of councillor Francisco Abatangelo was found dead in his house. "strange" you thought "The vampire is attacking most people on the streets, only for some reason he wants to go in to the houses of the councillors".  
You took some documents of the attacks before you arrived in Venice, all of them where on the streets, the vampire did not go in someones house once. The Battaglia villa was the first house he went into. You sipped on your coffee as you gathered your thought. "Would this have something to do with the theory that Ezio was looking for something? Could some kind of 'magic item' be hidden in one of the councillors houses? " you thought. 'BOOM, BOOM!" someone nocked on the door, you shocked because of the sudden noise. 

"Come in" you said, the door opened and one of the guards came in "Signore/Signora, the guards have finished their research inside the Abatangelo villa" the guard said while he handed you some papers.  
"The son was found dead in the livingroom, but the blooddots that you described to us where found in several places in the house" the guard said as you listened attentivley and inspected the papers. "Thank you for the information Guido, you can go" you said, the guard mad a small bow and left the room.  
You laid the documents on the table "So he is looking for something" you thought "And one of the councillors must have it, whatever it may be".  
You walked to a closet near your desk and took a map of the city, your rolled it out on your desk and took a pencil. You drew a circle around the Battaglia villa and around the Abatangelo villa. The two villa's laid pretty close together and both of them in the San Polo district, it seemed that Eizo was working in a certain order, rather then randomly choosing targets, when it came to breaking in to the councillors houses. You looked at the map, There where 8 more councillors to choose from, 3 of them lived in the San Polo district.  
You opened a small notebook and inspected the list of councillors who lived in San Polo: councillor Damiani, councillor Episcopo and councillor Giordano. You marked those three names as someone nocked on the door again. "Come in" you said. 

Councillor Battaglia and Isabella came into the room. "(your name) you have to rest" Isabella said a bit worried "you are working non stop for hours".  
You chuckled, charmed by Isabellas concern "I can not rest no signora" you said "I think I have found a clue" and with that you looked at councillor Battaglia. "Signore, what can you tell me about these 3 names?" you asked as you showed the councillor the list. "Do you know any specific details? Who their relatives are, where they are now, how they behave." you said.  
"Why do you want to know that?" the Councillor asked, you took the last sip of your coffee "I think one of those three will be Ezio's next target" you said.  
The councillor inspected the 3 marked names and thought for a moment.  
"Well, two of them know there is a vampire in the city." Councillor Battaglia said "Councillor Damiani had ignored the warnings and invited his family over from Trieste."  
"The fool" you whispered "But I don't think Ezio will come to him, please continue" you said, the councillor cleared his throat and continued.  
"Councillor Episcopo has become compeletley paranoid, and locked himself inside his house, when we have a meeting, he sends one of his servants out to speak for him."  
You narrowed your eyes "Why?" you asked "Because of Ezio's attacks? or does he have something to hide?" you asked, but the councillor shaked his head.  
"I know him for 10 years, he has a scared personality, but Ezio's attacks did the thing." the councillor said.  
"And the last one, councillor Giordano, why doesn't he know about the attacks?" you asked.  
"That is because councillor Giordano isn't in the city" councillor Battaglia answered "on request of the Doge he has gone to Cyprus."  
"Cyprus? Why?" you asked, but the councillor lifted his shoulders "If I knew, I would have told you, I think its for diplomatic reasons" he said.  
"Does he have any relatives who are still in Venice?" you asked, councillor Battaglia nodded "only his wife Maria" he said "They don't have any children."  
"So Maria is all alone in the city" you said worried "When does councillor Giordano return?" you asked as you stood up  
"Tommorow in the afternoon I believe" the councillor said. You walked to the door and took your suitcase "Councillor, Isabella, we are going to Signora Maria Giordano" you said "I want her to stay inside her home at all costs under my supervison" you said as you took on your cloack and opened the door, followed by Isabella and the councillor. 

2 hours earlier 

Maria Giordano stood in front of her mirror, adjusting her hair and putting on her scarf, she was going for a walk trough the city. Maria was the wife of councillor Luciano Giordano, who had gone to Cyprus on the Doge's request. Maria didn't know for what however, and that while her husband told her everything he was doing for the council, Maria asked him before he left, but he was very quite and mysterious about it...ah well, he would be home tommorow anyway. Maria walked out of the Giordano villa and made her way to the city.  
Maria tried to enjoy her last day alone as much as she could. As soon as her husband would come home, duty would begin again. Luciano Giordano was a man of hard work but little play, he spended most of his time for the council, even when he was with Maria it was still time for work for him, which resulted that he had very little time for his wife. Maria did love her husband very much, only she wished he spended some more time with her. Maria was many times involved with the buisness from the council herself too, so thats why she liked it that her husband had gone to Cyprus for a while, she had some time for herself. Maria was around 40 years old but she still looked quite good for her age, she was long and slim, had long black hair and green eyes. She wore a long red tunic that came up to her chest and covered half her breasts, around her neck she had a golden necklace. Despite Maria's good looks she was very much someone who stayed on her own. She didn't have any children and very few friends, she could make contact with people quite easily but she was a very calm, innocent person and prefered to be on her own. 

Maria walked trough the streets of the San Polo district near the canals, it started to become dark allready, she looked at the people walking, doing their jobs, minding their own buisness. She came near to the artistian corridor, here she gained an idea. She allways wanted to have a self-portrait, so what better way to spend her last night alone then to visit an artist who made a painting of her. Full of joy she walked to the street where the various painters where working. The street was narrow with shops on its left and right, all shops had a signboard that showed their prices of certain orders and also what it would cost to make a self-portrait. Maria came to the first painter who was painting the streets in front of him, his work was really good, but when Maria looked at the signboard, she backfired, 500 florins for a self-portrait was quite expentsive. Maria came near the second painter store, the painter sat near the canal and was painting the boats, he asked less money, but Maria was not a big fan of his works. And so she tried a third one, a fourth and a fifth, but she didn't find any she liked. A little dissapointed Maria walked further down the street until she reached the square near the Basilica dei Friari, she was about to turn around and walk back home until she saw someone sit next to the bridge, he sat behind an easel and painted the Basilica dei Friari. 

Maria came closer to the man, he wore some kind of black robes with silverish armor and white sleeves, he had an open collar which revealed a small necklace. Maria could not see the face of the man because he wore a hood that covered half his face, only a smooth shaved jawline and his lips, with a scar running over it where revealed. Maria stood close to the man and looked at the painting he made. It was of the squar and the Basilica dei Friari, it was so simple, not any complicated painting techniques, not exteremly much details, this man was really a novice when it came to painting, but for some reason it looked very good, for some reason Maria was very drawn to this painting. "Its beautifull" Maria said as she looked at the painterscloth. The man made a small smile "Grazie madonna" he said with a buttersmooth voice. "It is not my best work though, it is long ago that I painted and I needed to get into it again" he said as he stood up and took off his hood. Now Maria could see him fully, she guessed he was around 26 or 27 years old, the man was very tall and masculine, he had half long brown hair and gorgeous brown eyes, that combined with his pretty smile made him allmost a piece of art himself. The man took Maria's hand and kissed it "Ezio Auditore da Firenze" he said introducing himself, it made Maria blush and giggle "Maria Giordano" she said charmed by the young man. "Did someone teach you to paint like that, or are you a natural?" Maria asked as she looked at Ezio's work again. Ezio chuckled and shaked his head "No, a very good friend teached me" he said "his name was Leonardo da Vinci, but he is a far better painter then me" Ezio said. 

Maria looked at Ezio "Err...signore Auditore" she said as she looked the man in his gorgeous eyes "I wondered if you...you also do self-portraits?" Maria asked, a small grin appeared on Ezio's face "Yes, most certain" he said. Maria blushed "Can you...well if you have the time...make a portrait of me?" she asked, and Ezio's grin grew wider.  
"I would be honoured madonna" he said joyfully as he took his own chair and placed it about two meters in front of his easel "take a seat" Ezio said as he signed to the chair "Pretty ladies don't need to stand all the time". Maria took place on the chair as Ezio placed another painterscloth on his easel.  
"Ow, how much does it cost by the way?" Maria asked as she took her purse "50 florins" Ezio said. Maria couldn't believe her ears, no way it could be this cheap. She looked at Ezio, this just had to be a joke, but the young man looked very serious, and to be honest, Maria didn't want to complain right now. 

Maria sat on the chair moddeling for Ezio for about half an hour now, she patiently waited as Ezio continued his work while he looked at Maria every now and then. Every time, Ezio's brown eyes met Maria's green ones, she felt a heatwave raging through her body, like Ezio set her very soul aflame with just his eyes. As the painting continued the two of them talked, laughed and got to know eachother a little better. "Where you all on your own on the street tonight madonna?" Ezio asked.  
"Yes" Maria said "My husband is not home so I wanted to go out for a walk" she said.  
"And have this beautifull painting made for you" Ezio said as he looked at Maria again, with his deep penetrating look. Maria didn't answer, she gulped and just nodded. This was actually a pretty normal, innocent question, but there was something about Ezio's look, no, there was something about Ezio himself that she couldn't explain. It was something else then his handsome looks, or his charming character, she really didn't know what it was.  
A few more minutes passed, and more and more people who walked by, stopped to look at the painting, many made even wondered or impressed faces, some girls gave Maria a jealous face for being this mans model. Maria blushed, she felt honoured, on a very nice way. Even as wife of the councillor of the city she had these kind of moments hardly. Ezio made on last pencilstroke on the cloth and stepped back "It is finished, Signora" he said proudly. Maria stood up and came closer to the easel. She looked at her painting with full appreciation, it was just perfect, maybe not the best painting in the world, and not very complicated techniques where used. But the work it self looked so perfect, so refined, it was allmost like she looked in a mirror. 

"Its...its amazing" Maria said as she looked at Ezio. The young man blushed a little "I am glad you like it Signora" he said, took her hand and kissed it "But still, it is the model that counts" he whispered. Maria gave Ezio his 50 florins plus a little extra money. "Grazie, signora" he said as he looked thankfully at the tip. Maria looked at the clock in the tower of the Basilica "Its getting pretty late" she said "I really should go home again". Ezio took his easel, his paintings and some empty cloths. "May I escort you home?" Ezio asked  
"Oh...well...if it isn't too much trouble" she said looking at him carrying all his stuff, but Ezio smiled on such a sweet way again "Nessun problema" he said "I can deliver your painting right away" he said as he looked at Maria "Besides...you never know what you might find on the streets at this hour" he said, and suddenly his tone became a little darker. 

Ezio followed Maria back to villa Giordano as he carried her painting and the rest of his material, the two of them talked some more on their way to Maria's home.  
"Was your husband working for today?" Ezio asked to Maria.  
"Sort of" Maria said "he is in Cyprus for the time being." she said.  
"Cyprus, thats quite the distance" Ezio said "what is he doing there?" he asked, but Maria raised her shoulders. At that moment they came near the enterance of the Giordano villa. Maria opened the door of her house "Please come in" she said "make your self at home, I shall serve us some wine" she said. Ezio smiled sweetly "I would love to signora" he said.

Once inside Ezio was looking for a place to hang up the painting while Maria was serving 2 glasses of wine. She came back into the living room, it was a quite large room with a big window on the left side that looked out over the canal. A red bench with pillows and blankets stood near it. In the middle of the room was a table with a chair. On the right side of the room was a fireplace, a few candles where spreaded across the room, providing light. Ezio had found a pretty place for the painting, he placed it on a empty place on the wall near the bench. "It looks pretty there" Maria said as she handed Ezio his wine. "I am glad you like it" Ezio said as he took the glass and sipped from his wine, "A nice surprise for your husband when he gets home" Ezio said as he looked at Maria, the woman shaked her head "I doubt he will notice" she said "He is allways occupied with work."  
A small smile appeared on Ezio's face, "shame " he said as he sipped from his wine "beautifull ladies need to have some appreciation" he said as he slided his hand over Maria's chin. Maria giggled, she knew she was married and made a promise to stay by her man, but Ezio was right, women do need some attention, besides it was just innocent flirting. "Speaking of appreciation" Ezio said as he placed his glass on the table "You where one of the better models I have painted" he said "Would you like to make one more painting with me tonight?" he asked. "Sure" Maria said excited "You can place your easel near the bench" she said as she placed herself on the bench. Ezio placed his easel on the opposite of the bench, placed a empty painters cloth on it and took his paint. "Signora" Ezio hissed as he looked at Maria who sat ready on the bench "Would you like it to make this painting more...intimate?" he asked on a dark tone. Maria looked a bit confused to him "What do you mean?" she asked, and Ezio smiled "I want you to pose naked for me" he purred. 

Maria tried to find words, but before she could speak, something caught her attention, it suddenly had become darker in the room. The candles and the fireplace where burning, but it seemed like the flames had shrunk in size. "I...Well I" Maria said trying to find an answer, but to be honest she didn't know what to say. "Do it!" A voice out of no where sounded, Maria gasped because of it and looked around, but no one was there "Did you hear..." she said, but Ezio still looked at her with the same seductive look, without saying a word. "Do it, pose naked, you know you want it!" the voice said again. Maria looked around but again she saw no one, the sound didn't seem to come from the room tough, it was allmost like it was in her head. "Ve...Very well" Maria said shocked and uncertain, but also excited. Maria took her shoulder parts of her tunic and pulled them down one by one, very slowly, so Ezio would have quite a show. Once her sleeves where off and her shoulders where revealed she turned around, showing Ezio her back. The tunic was being held on her body by a set of tied laces. "Could you help me with this one?" Maria asked to Ezio, slowly the young man stepped forward "With pleasure" he purred. When Ezio stood near Maria's back he laid his hands on her shoulderblades and slowly brought them down to the laces. Ezio untied the knot on the upside of the tunic and with his skillfull hands he pulled the laces carefully out. Maria's tunic became more loose with every lace Ezio released, when the last one was loosened, Maria's tunic fell off her body, leaving her allmost completely naked, she only wore an underwear. Ezio placed his hands on her hips and brought his nose to Maria's neck. Maria moaned softly as the warm hands of the man drew circles around her hips and her waist, his hands were warm, so warm. Maria noticed that Ezio's hands were not the only thing that gave so much heat, the entire room seemed to getting hotter. Ezio's nose traveled around Maria's neck, followed by his lips who placed soft kisses on her skin. 

“Ezio…I…I am married” Maria stuttered as Ezio’s kisses became more and more intense, and his hands travelled further up. “Forgive me bella donna” he said “I wanted to take some time to admire my model” he said and placed one last kiss on Maria’s neck.  
“Let’s begin with the painting” he said as he walked back to his easel. Maria took off her underwear and placed herself on the bench, revealing her fully naked body to the young man. Maria was in good shape and had a slim posture, her legs where long and she had quite large breasts. “You are gorgeous” Ezio whispered to her as he took off his robes and armour, so he only stood in his pants and his white shirt. “Now, let’s begin with this masterpiece” he said and started painting. 

Maria sat on the bench a little nervous, but also very aroused while Ezio was drawing her. Every now and then, Ezio looked at her, he gave her that same look as with the first painting, those deep penetrating looks. Every time Maria made eye contact with him, it was like a heatwave raged through her body, but that was not the only thing she experienced whilst laying there. Maria felt something tickling on her arm, she looked up, maybe there was a fly or a mosquito, but nothing to be seen. Maria shocked and giggled softly as she felt that very same sensation again, but now on her feet, it wasn’t annoying or something, it actually was very pleasant, but Maria couldn’t tell what it was. Suddenly, the tickling feeling travelled from her feet to her legs, to her hips and onto her bellybutton, Maria moaned and giggled softly, it was like a thousand tiny hairs caressed her skin. 

She looked at Ezio who continued his painting while he smirked at her. When Ezio dipped his pencil in some paint the feeling disappeared, but when he continued on the painting, the tickling came back on her breasts. “Ezio…wha…what are you doing?” Maria asked moaning, Ezio looked at her and grinned “Just lay back and enjoy your painting” he hissed seductively.  
Maria moaned as Ezio continued, tiny waves of warmth and pleasure flew through her body with every pencil stroke Ezio made, and it was always at the places that Ezio was painting. “How…how do you do that?” Maria asked as Ezio brought his pencil down and Maria felt the caressing and tickling travel over her middle and onto her hips. Ezio chuckled “Would you believe this is magical paint?” he asked, but Maria didn’t answer, she laid back and enjoyed the sensations she received. Ezio looked at his painting “well well…look what area we have reached” he smirked as he slowly painted Maria’s vagina on the cloth. 

Maria moaned softly when she felt the tickling sensation reaching her vagina, her moaning became louder and louder with every second Ezio spended painting her private parts. Maria crossed her legs and squeezed her hands in the blanket, concentrating on the intense feeling that travelled trough her vagina. Ezio looked with a nasty smirk at Maria crawling and moaning on the bench while he slided his pencil over her vagina on the cloth, there was no more paint on the pencil but he kept hitting the same spot, driving Maria close, very close. Maria moaned loudly, she was about to cum, but just when she could have an orgasm, Ezio stopped. Maria looked up and saw Ezio changing his pencil and mixing some more paint while he smirked at her “Please” Maria moaned “Please don’t stop” she said desperate.  
“Madonna, a masterpiece like this takes a lot of time” Ezio smiled “I don’t want it to be finished to quickly” he said innocent and continued painting. Maria felt the sensation on her left arm as Ezio started painting that. Maria breathed heavy because she started to get impatient, she brought her right hand down to her private parts “Don’t move!” Ezio said suddenly on a very demanding tone, Maria did as she was told. After a few minutes the sensations on Maria’s arm travelled to her armpit, her middle and eventually back to her vagina. She moaned loudly as Ezio kept moving the pencil over the painting, she came close to orgasm again, very close, but right on the moment she was about to cum, Ezio removed the pencil from the painters cloth and dipped it in the paint again. “Please! Just do it, you are driving me crazy!” Maria hissed as she laid moaning on the bench. Ezio said nothing, he just smirked as he watched his model suffer. 

Ezio made a few more adjustments on Maria’s arms and legs on the painting, every now and then he looked at his model sobbing on the bench, desperate to reach an orgasm. Ezio slided his pencil over Maria’s painted middle and onto her vagina again. “You are so beautiful” he whispered as he circled around on the painters cloth, Maria started breathing heavy again as she felt the sensation teasing her private parts again. She threw her head in the pillows as Ezio kept moving the pencil over the cloth, Maria was sweating like crazy, it was like the room got hotter and hotter by the second, and not just by Ezio’s caressing painting. “Yes…YES…PLEASE!” Maria moaned as she felt her orgasm getting closer and closer again. Ezio looked at her smiling and kept moving his pencil over her vagina, “I…I am going to…” Maria said moaning, she grabbed the red blankets, made one more loud moan and cummed all over the bench, with nothing even touching her physical. 

Ezio had finished his painting, he grabbed it and walked to Maria who was reduced to a moaning mess on the bench, her body was sweaty, her hair was messy and over her face and on there was a large wet spot on the bench. “Your painting is finished, nasty girl” Ezio smirked as he showed Maria his masterpiece. Maria looked at the painting, just like the last one it was just perfect, the painting showed Maria laying on the bench with her eyes closed and her mouth half opened. When Ezio laid the painting on the table, Maria stood up, still shaking from the intense orgasm she had like half a minute ago. She could not believe this just happened “I must be dreaming” she thought “No way this guy has magical paintings”, but on the other hand Maria was still way to aroused to think clearly, she slowly walked to Ezio. Ezio turned around, looking in Maria’s eyes as the woman laid her arms over the young man’s neck, Ezio smiled and laid his hands on Maria’s middle.  
Ezio and Maria brought their faces closer together and placed a kiss on each other’s lips, they kept kissing for a while as they hugged each other thight. “let me get my purse” Maria said while she kept kissing Ezio “I shall pay you handsomely” she said, Ezio smirked “You already did” he hissed. Maria brought her hands down over Ezio’s shirt and unbuttoned a few buttons “Let me get you some more wine then” she said. “I won’t say no to that” Ezio said as Maria had unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off from his body. Ezio laid his hand on Maria’s chin and placed one more kiss on her mouth before she walked away “Don’t be long” he whispered. 

After a minute Maria came back into the living room with two filled cups of wine. She saw the half-naked Ezio looking at the painting he made, Maria handed him the wine “Thank you” Ezio said. Maria looked to the painting with full appreciation as she sipped from her wine, Ezio placed his cup on the table and stood behind Maria, he laid his hands on her naked shoulders again and started kissing her in her neck “Your husband will meet one horny women once he comes home” he joked as he nibbled in Maria’s neck while his hands travelled to her breasts. Maria chuckled as she sipped from her wine “Well, he can’t say he gave me an orgasm during painting” she whispered, Ezio brought his right hand down to her middle and to her vagina “Not just with painting” he purred as he moved his fingers over Maria’s vagina and onto her clitoris “You are soaking wet” he hissed in her ear.  
Maria started moaning again as she felt Ezio’s nimble fingers moving around her clitoris. This was one of the things she missed so much when she was with her husband. Luciano Giordano was besides a hard worker also a very religious man, he was always so nervous when it came to sex. Maria enjoyed the feeling that she had missed for so long, being kissed and spoiled by a man. Ezio walked slowly forward, pushing Maria to the bench as he still caressed her private parts with his right hand and her breast with his left one. He turned Maria around and pushed her down on the bench, Maria laid on her back, she came up a bit and spreaded her legs, giving Ezio full access. Ezio slided his fingers up and down and left and right inside Maria’s vagina, he pulled them back, inspected them for a second and put them in his mouth. “Hmmmm, so good” he purred as he licked his fingers, tasting Maria’s body juice. 

Ezio placed himself on Maria on the bench, meanwhile he placed his fingers back into her vagina. Maria wrapped her arms around Ezio and moaned as the young man had his whole warm upper body placed on her. Ezio kept fingering his lover and sucked on her right breast. Ezio moved his face over to her left breast, leaving a trail of saliva. As soon as Maria’s left breast was soaking with Ezio’s saliva, he brought his face to her mouth, kissing her passionately. “Ezio…I…You make me cum again” Maria moaned excited, Ezio smirked to her as he kept moving and circling his fingers, faster and harder, until Maria grabbed Ezio’s hair, made a loud moan and cummed over Ezio’s fingers.  
Ezio stood up, licking his fingers again and looked to the moaning mess on the bench. “That’s two” he chuckled. Maria gathered her energy, came up a bit and looked Ezio in the eye “Take…off…your pants” she hissed, still as aroused as can be. Ezio opened his belt, very, very slowly, teasing Maria with the sight. When Ezio’s belt was half open Maria lost patience, she stood up, ripped the belt out of Ezio’s pants and pulled it down his legs onto his ankles, revealing his manhood. Maria gasped softly as she saw Ezio’s member, it looked even more exciting then the painting he made of her. It was quite large, about 8 inch, and thick, dripping with precum. Maria laid her hands on Ezio’s chest as she pushed him on the bench “Sit down beast” she hissed. Ezio sat on the bench with his hands behind his head as Maria went on her knees in front of Ezio, she took his member in her hands and brought her face closer. She placed a kiss on the top and started sucking Ezio off. 

Ezio moaned and relaxed as he enjoyed the blowjob. Maria closed her eyes, concentrating on the taste of Ezio’s flesh and precum that filled her mouth. She didn’t care anymore that she cheated on her husband, or that she completely destroyed her innocence, she had almost forgotten how good a nice dick tasted. Maria went deeper and deeper on the manhood of her young lover, she reached 6 inch, 7 inch and even managed to get the full 8 inch in her mouth, touching Ezio’s pubic hair with her nose. “Your doing so good amore mio” Ezio moaned. Maria took Ezio’s dick out of her mouth and catched her breath for a second, Ezio chuckled because of it. Maria looked to him with the naughtiest look she could make “so you like that huh?” she smirked. Maria came closer to Ezio’s dick, she took both her breasts in her hands and placed them around Ezio’s cock, jacking him off with her breasts. “Aaaah, that feels so good!” Ezio moaned as he looked at the women playing with his member, “blow me on the same time!” he said, Maria brought her face forward and sucked Ezio’s top while she still jerked his shaft with her breasts. Ezio grabbed Maria’s hair as he growled like a wild animal “yes, you are doing amazing, YES!” he screamed. 

When Maria took her mouth off from Ezio’s dick again, Ezio stood up, he pulled Maria up and kissed her on her mouth again. They kept kissing for a while as the two of them walked to the carpet near the fireplace. Ezio laid Maria down on her back and went on top of her “I shall give you a night you will never forget, Madonna” he hissed as he kissed her on her mouth. Ezio kept kissing with Maria and every now and then he kissed her in her neck. Maria moaned in Ezio’s mouth as they tongue kissed together. Ezio placed the top of his dick on Maria’s vagina, teasing her by moving his dick around. Ezio grabbed Maria's shoulders, aimed his dick on her vagina and pushed it in. "So wet" he purred as he moved his dick inside his lover, Maria wrapped her arms and legs over Ezio's sweating body and moaned according to his rhythm. Ezio kept kissing Maria in her neck as he fucked her harder by the second, he brought his face down to her left breast, feeling her heartbeats raging through her body "Your heart is pumping around so much blood" he hissed as he licked her breast, went up again and started nibbeling on her neck. Maria wondered why Ezio thought it was thrilling that blood was being pumped around, but she didn't care anymore, she could barley move or speak, she grabbed the carpet underneath her and let Ezio lead her to another orgasm. Maria felt the third intense heatwave raging through her body, and this while she was allready sweating like a madman. Despite the flames in the fireplace where small, the room just got hotter and hotter, but it didn't seem to influence Ezio at all, he just kept fucking his lover with undescribable passion. Maria shouted out loud as she reached her fourth orgasm, and her fifth and sixth. With every orgasm Ezio gave her, her muscles felt weaker and her energy reduced. When Maria had reached her 12th unnatural divine orgasm Ezio roared loud and cummed inside his lover. 

Ezio stood up, wiped the sweat off his face and watched smiling to his piece of art, laying on the ground, trying to recover. "Shall we do another round tommorow night?" Ezio asked as he walked to the table, sipped from his wine and looked to the painting again. "No" Maria said "Tommorow my husband will be home again" she said as she tried to move, but for some reason she couldn't move, of course the sex did exhaust her, but not that much that she couldn't move, what was going on? "Ah yes, your husband comes home from Cyprus" Ezio said as he walked with the painting in his hand to Maria who still laid on the carpet "Why did he go again?"  
"I dont know" Maria said a little in panic because she was unable to move "he did so nervous and mysterious about it, he only said that it was on the Doge's request".  
When the last words escaped Maria's mouth, a very dark and evil grin appeared on Ezio's face. "Ezio...I...I can't move" Maria said to Ezio who still looked at her, grinning.  
"I know, bella donna" Ezio said softly as he came a ittle closer "See, your husband...you don't know it, and neither does he...but, he has something I desire." he said and brought his face closer to Maria's "And you have just been a pawn in my plan to get it from him" he smiled to her. Maria's eyes filled with tears as she tried to stand up, but she couldn't, something else then exhausted muscles where holding her down. On that moment the flames of the candles and the fireplace went out, leaving the whole room dark. And with the light, also the warmth had dissapeared, and an extreme cold had come in its place.  
"Now for the painting..." Ezio said as he bowed himself over Maria, looking her in the eye. "I think it needs a little more...red" he smiled as he showed his two sharp canines, and with that he bited Maria in her neck with her scream filling the room. 

Ezio pulled on his clothes again, he took a white handkerchief out of his pocket and whiped the remaining blood off from his chin. He looked to Maria's naked painting, one more thing had been changed, the painting showed two red bitemarks in her neck. Ezio smiled and walked to the dead Maria Giordano who laid on the carpet, Ezio bowed over Maria and kissed her forhead "Good bye bella donna" he said "Thank you for the wonderfull night". Ezio took a small bottle of turpentine out of his pocket, opened it and poured it over the painting. The naked painting of Maria dissapeared, and with that the real Maria seemed to dissolve as well. Her arms and legs vanished into thin air, soon her middle, her neck and her face. An eye filled with a tear was the last thing that was to be seen of Maria before she was completely dissapeared from the earth. Ezio looked at the empty cloth "I don't want your husband to find out you slept with a vampire" he said smiling "It would break his heart". Ezio stepped to the door and made one last look into the room "Luciano Giordano, you will be next" he said as he left the room. 

"Nothing here signore/signora" one of the guard said to you as he was finished checking the second floor of the Giordano villa. "No one to be seen in the living room either" the other guard said as you, councillor Battaglia and Isabella came in. You looked around the living room, there where two half full cups of whine and an empty painters cloth on the table that cought your attention. You took the painters cloth up, inspected it and smelled it. You noticed the sense of turpentine, and as fammiliar with vampire magic as you where, you allready knew what happend here, but you deceided to keep this quiet for now. You looked to the ground and saw a few dark dots on the ground, blood with vampire saliva "He has been here" you said.  
"But where is signora Giordano?" Isabella asked frightened. You looked at her with a pityfull look and sighed "Its a hard to believe story, but... she doesn't exists anymore" you said. You looked around you and noticed that Ezio didn't search the house this time, because no more dark dots were to be found.  
"But tommorow signore Giordano will return home, and I have a feeling that Ezio will be back here" you said as you placed your hand on your chin. A little smile appeared on your face "This event could actually work in our advantage" you said. 

( Some chapter ey? hope you still enjoying my story so far, in the next chapter you will see Ezio in fighting action, both assassin and vampire style )


	5. The ambush

The boat from Cyprus arrived at the docks of the San Marco's district, Luciano Giordano looked relieved as he saw the Doge's palace come in sight, finnaly safe back home. Councillor Juliano Giordano was a long and slim man from posture, he had long dark greasy hair and a short beard. He wore a grey with black striped tunic and a black head with a couple of feathers on top. The councillor carried a little chest with him, it was made of wood and ivory and had some decorations on it, they looked Celtic, but what was IN the chest, that was important. "Let me carry that for you signore" one of the guards said to the councillor as he pointed to the chest, but the councillor pulled the chest away. "I am fine with this, thank you Arthuro. Go grab my luggage, we are nearly there" the councillor said to his guard as he pressed the chest thightly towards him.

When the ship was tied to the pannage on the docks of the San Marco's plaza, the councillor and his guard set foot on the Venetian ground. The councillor had only taken one step in his home city, and he was immidiatley stopped by four guards.  
"Signore Girodano?" The captain of the guars said as he pointed out his hand, demanding the councillor to stop. "Thats me" the councillor said "What is going on?"  
"By demand of witch hunter ( your name ), you have been taken into custody" the captain said "Please come with us!" he demanded.  
Councillor Giordanno looked confused and pressed the chest even closer towards him "You can't do this!" he said "I am a public official of the Venetian Republic, who does that witch hunter think he/she is!?" he shouted, the captain remained calm "It is for your own saftey signore" he said "Marco, make sure the councillor is being brought to the appointed chambers" the captain said to his lieutenant, as the other two guards placed their hands on the councillors shoulders and holded him firmly in place. "Follow us please signore" the lieutenant said as he walked to the palace, the other two guards and the councillor followed him. "This is an outrage!" the councillor shouted "Arthuro! do something, stop them!" the councillor shouted to his guard who still stood near the boat with the luggage in his hands, trying to figure out what was going on.

'Boom, boom!' someone knocked on the door of your office. "Come in" you said, the captain of the guards opened the door and stepped in, seeing you, councillor Battaglia and some more lieutanants and captains standing around a table. "Councillor Giordano has been taken into custody, as you ordered signore/signora." the captain said. You smiled to him "Excellent work Georginio" you said to the captain "Come join us" you said with a grin on your face "then we can set our plan into motion for tonight".

The night had fallen into Venice, the streets where allmost empty, esspecially around the Giordano villa. A bit of fog was gathering in the street near the villa, with the second the fog became more and more, also thicker and darker. In a few seconds it was turned into a black smoke, it allmost looked like something was on fire, but then footsteps sounded, first far away, but they came closer and closer. The dark, thick mist moved around in the air, the footsteps seemed to move along with the fog. The dark cloud reached the street near the Giordano villa, and with that a person stepped out of the black mist. The robes with hood he wore where just as dark as the mist itself, only his white sleeves, red belt and silverish armor gave some colour variation in the dark night.  
Ezio walked with large passes through the streets on his way to the Giordano villa. While he was walking his eyes raged through the streets for things he needed to remember, things he needed to count. "16 windows, 4 wooden crates, 1 wagon, 4 wooden doors, 1 tree and 5918 peebles" Ezio counted in a few seconds. "This will be my way back" he thought. Ezio walked to the right, the villa was on the other end of this street. He heard a soft gasp on his right side, he looked right and looked 2 children in the eyes, there was one girl who was around 6 and a boy who looked like 5. The three of them kept eye contact for a while, Ezio could tell the chidren where terrified of him. Ezio placed his index finger for his lips and signed the kids that they should keep quiet, the children said nothing, they just nodded while still looking terrified at the tall, strange man.  
Ezio walked furhter, when he reached the end of the street he recognized the villa. Ezio made a dark grin when he thought back of his prey last night, ow that was such fun! Ezio walked to the door and opened it, he had been invited in last night, so nothing could stop him now.

Ezio came inside the Giordano villa, the room was dark, not a single candle was lit up, just as Ezio liked it. Ezio stepped into the living room and saw a chest standing on the table, it was small and made of wood and ivory. Ezio smiled and came closer to the chest, when he stood right in front of it he laid his hand on the chest to open it. But then, he doubted for a second "Wait, this is way to easy" he thought, as his eyes raged trough the room, nothing seemed different, everything still seemed the same as last night. Ezio's right hand slided down his middle, there he felt his sword hanging on his buckle. Ezio gathered his thoughts again, laid both hands on the chest and opened it.

'BOOM!' something exploded inside the chest as Ezio opened it, but no gunpowder was used, instead the room was suddenly filled with a greenish smoke. Ezio took accidentley one breath through his nose, and screamed out from pain, it was like acid was poured into his nostrils. "Garlic! this is garlic!" Ezio thought as he tried to cover his nose with his hand. "NOW, ATTACK!" a male/female voice sounded in the room. With that 10 guards, who had been hiding behind the curtains, closets, doors and bench jumped towars Ezio with swords drawn, the vampire was completly surrounded. Ezio gathered his thoughts and energy as best he could, and before the swords could penetrate his body, Ezio had allready been turned into fog. The fog raged out of the villa and onto the streets, but as soon as the fog was outside, it stopped and Ezio fel out of it on the ground. The garlic that Ezio had inhaled a few seconds earlier was disturbing his concentration and clouding his mind. Ezio stood up, coughing and heavy breathing "There he is, don't let him escape!". Ezio looked back and saw a male/female with a black tunic and a hat, pointing somekind of wooden stick to him, Ezio gasped as he realised it was a pistol. When the shot was heard, Ezio dived on the ground, evading the bullet. Ezio crawled back up and ran towards the street as the man/woman ran after him, followed by the guards.

You where running after Ezio while you reloaded your pistol, Ezio was taking the street left, you ran after him followed by one of the captains and the rest of the guards. "We must be quick" you said to the captain whilst running "The garlicbomb only knocks his power out temporary" you said. "Do not worry signore/signora" the captain said "my men have followed the instructions, the traps have been put into place" he said.  
Ezio ran into the street he appeared in earlier, whilst counting the things he saw in his way again. But suddenly he stopped, something was not right, this looked like exactly the same street, but instead of 5918 peebles, there where 5935 peebles. "No,no...this is not the right way" Ezio thought, he looked around in a little panic for alternative routes. "He is here!" The guards shouted as they saw the vampire standing in the street. Ezio had no choice, he took a street on his right and ran into a corridor. Ezio ran through the narrow corridor, right, left, left again, until he came at an open square in the middle of one of the richer neighberhoods of Venice. Before Ezio could decide which road to take next, 5 guards who had hidden in the street appeared in front and behind him, armed with swords and halberds. Two more guards appeared on the rooftops armed with crossbows, Ezio was surrounded again.

"So, how would you like to go?" One of the guards asked jonking, confident that they had the numbers advantage "By axe or by rope?" the guard asked as he and his comrades came closer to Ezio, with their weapons pointed at him. Ezio made a small smile "How would you like to go, amici?" he asked calm "By my sword...or my teeth!?". With that, Ezio made a loud roar, showing his two canines and drew his sword. Within a second he jumped on the guard in front of him, the guard was taken completly by surprise and was to late to act, Ezio pushed him down and stabbed him in the chest with his sword. The remaining guards charged towards the vampire, while the crossbowmen aimed and made ready to fire. One guard charged to Ezio with his halberd, Ezio quickly evaded the halberd, grabbed the guard by his neck, pulled him towards him and kicked him with his knee. On that moment the crossbowmen shot their arrows, Ezio had seen them allready, he turned his body around, so the guard he holded would be his meatshield. While the guard absorbed the arrows, another guard tried to flank Ezio with his sword, but the young vampire stopped the attack with his own sword. With one swift, well aimed swing of his razorsharp sword, Ezio cleaved the lightly armoured guard in half Ezio dropped the guard who had died from the arrows, on that moment one of the two remaining guards tried to attack Ezio in the back with a Venetian style warhammer. "Oh please" Ezio hummed, and with lightning speed he grabbed the warhammer with his free hand, pulled it away from the guard and sliced him in pieces with his sword. Still one more guard and the two crossbowmen were remaining, as soon as the guard saw his comrade fall down, he panicked and tried to run away. Ezio dropped the warhammer and took a small knife out of his belt and threw it to the guard, the poor man was just a little to slow, the knife landed in his neck and pierced his trachea. All 5 guards where dead, Ezio's magic might have been knocked out, but he still had his beyond outstanding fighting skills, the 5 men were killed in a matter of seconds. Ezio noticed that the crossbowmen had reloaded, on the same time, the group that ambushed him in the villa had appeared again. Ezio didn't waste time, he ran into a street on his right, with the arrows just flying past him.

When you and the rest of the men arrived at the little square, the captain gasped, 5 of his best men laid dead on the ground, and the vampire had escaped again. You, the captain and the rest of the group ran into the street Ezio went into, the crossbowmen followed from the rooftops. "Vampires are usually exceptional duelists, but I have never met any with a fighting skill like this!" you said to the captain as you followed the streets. The captain was full of rage because of his dead men "If we catch him, he will pay for every drop of blood he has on his claws!" the captain yelled.  
"Don't worry" you said "Everything is prepared, these roads will lead to a dead end...for Ezio!" you said smiling.

Ezio ran towards a crosspoint, he only had the choices in left and right, the walls were way to high to climb, and there was nothing to hold onto. Ezio turned left, but immediatley regret it. The road was blocked by 5 wooden crates, all 3 where filled with garlic. Ezio coughed and covered his nose, as he turned back and went into the other street. While he was running in the alley, 3 men appeared on the end of the alley, blocking the road. It where 3 of those brutes, completley clad in heavy plate armor and at least 2 meters tall. The middle one holded an axe and the other two greatswords. "We don't let you pass, bastardo!" one of them shouted, his voice muted by his closed helmet.  
"Your last mistake, fools!" Ezio shouted as he increased in speed and sprinted towards the middle one. When Ezio was a few feet away from the middle guard he jumped in the air, while Ezio was in the air, 2 blades appeared from out of holsters under Ezio's upperarms. Ezio jumped over the tall guard his axe and with one, well aimed move, he pushed the two hidden blades through the eye openings in the helmet. The guard fel down, incase he wasn't dead yet, he was permanentley blind and had severe brain damage. Ezio rolled to the left evading the greatsword of the right guard. The left guard grabbed him around his neck with his arms "kill him, now!" he shouted to his friend who aimed his sword, but Ezio was way faster and way more agile, he grabbed the arm that holded his neck, and used it to throw his body in the air. With one swift move, Ezio threw his body over the guard his head and landed behind his back. On that moment the greatsword pierced through the armor of the unprepeared guard, the speed and the force of the sword became fatal to the guard. Before the other guard had realised he killed his friend, Ezio appeared again, the guard tried to hit him with his sword, but Ezio rolled over the ground and evaded. When he was near the guard he drew his own sword and stabbed it trough an open part of the guards armor, under his arm, hitting a lot of vital organs.

The last brute fel down on the ground, but Ezio had little time to cellabrate or rest. A bullet flew just an inch passed him, he looked back to the street and saw that witch hunter with the rest of the guards again. Ezio continued his run, but he felt a very sharp pain in his chest, he grabbed his chest and breathed heavy, all this fighting, evading and runnig required a lot of energy, even more because his vampire body was still fighting the sent of garlic. Ezio ran into an alley that was a little bit wider, as soon as he came in the middle of the alley 3 guards appeared armed with knives, one on his left, one on his right and one in front. All 3 of them where charging Ezio, when the 3 guards were all near, Ezio squated and evaded the knives. With incredible speed he stood up again, switched out his hidden blades and made a quick spin in the middle of the guards, slicing all 3 throats with a single strike. A trail of blood fel around Ezio on the ground as the 3 guards fel dead on the ground.  
Ezio smirked and ran further, taking a street left, and right. Ezio looked back, the group that was chasing him was right behind him, he had to keep them at bay a little longer, then the garlic smell would wear off and he would have his magic again. Ezio looked forward and gasped, he stopped running and could catch his balance just in time. In front of him was the canal, and there where no pannages to jump on, he couldn't go further. Ezio was in panic, he looked around the narrow street, the walls where again large and unclimbable. On that moment the group appeared, 5 guards positioned in line, blocking the road, they went in a squad position and aimed their hellbards forward. Behind them 5 other guards and the witch hunter appeared and took position behind the hellbardiers. 4 guards aimed crossbows at Ezio, the witch hunter stood in the middle and aimed his/her pistol at Ezio. On the rooftops some more crossbowmen appeared, 4 on the left and 3 on the right, Ezio had no where to go.

"Its over Ezio" you said smirking, looking at the heavy breathing, exhausted vampire. "You are completley surrounded and to bad for you, vampires can't swim" you said as you laid your finger on the trigger of the pistol, ready to fire. "MIAAUWHH!" you heard and within the blink of an eye, a black cat appeared out of no where and jumped in your face. "AAAHH!!" you shouted as the cat attacked you with her sharp nails. "Stupid cat!" you shouted as you grabbed the cat in her neck and throwed her to the wall. "I might have no ways to run, but I have ways to fly!" Ezio shouted and made a loud, terrifying scream. You looked at the vampire, apparently the few seconds distraction were enough for him to recover enough magic. Ezio's body and muscles grew in unnatural speed, his skin colour changed into a light grey colour. His face transformed, growing longer, his nose changed in some kind of snout, his eyes turned small and bloodred, his ears grew and his teeth became very long and sharp. Long red coloured, spikey hairs grew out of his neck and his back. Ezio's hands turned into sharp claws and wings grew out of his arms. The guards where gasping and shouting, some of them ran away, some aimed their weapons with shaking hands and some froze from the sight that they had never seen before. You remained calm, only the word "Vargheist" escaped your mouth.

( Incase you like to know what a Vargheist looks like. )

Before you or any of the guards could react, Ezio, who was now transformed into a Vargheist, jumped in the air and let himself fall on the guards with the hellbards. The guards where well armed and trained, but they where no match for a big heap of claws and muscles. The vargheist threw two of the guards to the wall, you could hear their bones shatter. One of the guards was tossed 10 meters back, the Vargheist took one guard in both his claws and teared him littleraly apart. You aimed your pistol at the Vargheists head and shot, the bullet hit his shoulder though. The Vargheist knew that he needed to have you, he released the remains of one of the guards and jumped towards you. The crossbowmen near you and on the rooftops fired their arrows, some of them where hits, but it didn't seem to do much damage to the thick hide of the beast.  
The crossbowmen next to you dropped their weapons and fled in panic as the monster came towards them. You remained calm as ever "Bring it on you oversized bat!" you shouted as you drew your sword. The Vargheist landed near you and slammed one of his claws towards you, you evaded just in time and stabbed your Milanese sword inside the beast his hide. The Vargheist screamed from the pain and grabbed you, he threw you to the wall. You landed on the wall and fel down on the ground, miracelously you didn't break any bones, however there where some deep cuts in your body from the sharp claws. The Vargheist came towards you again, but on that moment the captain ran towards him with his sword drawn "For my dead men!" he shouted and charged the mutated vampire, stabbing his sword in the masculine chest. The Vargheist grabbed the captain, and bited off his head. You took this time, you quickly reloaded your pistol and aimed for the head, but before you could shoot the beast jumped on you, pushing you on the ground. 

You laid on the ground with a Vargheist that was 4 times the size of you on top of you. You tried to push his face away, or punch him in the eye, but the beast was way to strong. Meanwhile you saw that the crossbowmen on the rooftops where frozen with fear. "shoot! you fools! SHOOT!!" you shouted. The crossbowmen where awakend from their trance, they all aimed their crossbows on the back of the beast and shot. The Vargheist made a scream of pain as the volley hit him in the back, you felt his grip weaken and eventually he released you. The Vargheist hubbled a little further, made one big jump and flew into the night sky. You stood up, quickley aimed your pistol and shot, the bullet hit the Vargheist in his arm. The Vargheist fel down a bit but recovered quick. The damage and effect was noticable but the beast was still able to fly, soon he dissapeared from your sight. You fel down and laid your hand on your wounds as you looked around. The whole street was a bloody mess, several body's where tossed away, some where ripped apart and the crossbowmen came down, completly shaking, the black cat however was gone. Far in the distance you heard people screaming, most likely they saw the Vargheist flying. Ezio was in a wounded state though, it seemed most logical to you that he searched for some place safe, rather than attacking more people right now. 

The morning sun was rising, you and the survivors had been brought back to the Doge's palace by a patrol. You laid on a table in one of the Doge's rooms. Isabella, Emilia and Allessandra stood around you, councillor Battaglia looked out of the window. Emilia was treating your wounds, you hissed as she poured some alcohol over the cuts. "You didn't break anything signore/signora" Emilia said as she stitched the wounds "and your vital organs don't seem to be damaged" she said.  
"Gr..great" you said hissing from the stitching needle that went in and out of your flesh "how a...are the other me..men?" you asked.  
"They are treated by the physicians, they will be fine, but they still can't believe what they saw." Allessandra said, you chuckled a bit.  
"Seeing a Vargheist for the...the first time isn't pleasent ind...indeed" you said as Emilia finished treating your wounds, you slowly brought yourself up. Outside you heard lots of people shouting and yelling, it sounded like a riot. "What is going on signore?" you asked to the councillor as he looked outside the window.  
"The people are mad and terrified" he said "They demand to know what the flying creature of last night was" he said, you sighed as you slowly walked to the door.  
"No (your name)" the councillor said as he stopped you "You are wounded, and politics isn't your buisness here" he said concerned, you sighed "you are right' you said and walked to a chair to sit down.  
"We nearly had him" you said dissapointed with your hands in your hair "Ezio was trapped, his magic was still weak, and crossbows where aimed at him" you said as you repeated the night inside your head "But then...out of no where...a black cat jumped into my face...giving Ezio time to transform".  
"A black cat?" Isabella said confused. "The creature of bad luck" the councillor said.  
"This is the one time I like to believe that signore" you said "I have a feeling this isn't just a coincidence, maybe Ezio has a few minions under his command" you hissed.  
You looked at the councillor "How is signore Giordano by the way?" you asked "What was the chest holding that he carried with him?" you asked hopefully.  
The councillor cleared his throat and spoke "Councillor Giordano is still being held into custody, the chest..." but before the councillor could finish his sentence the door opened and one guard came in "Signore/Signora (your name), the Doge wants to speak to you" he said.  
"Very well" you said as you stood up and made your way to the Doge's chamber, supported by Isabella and Emilia. 

 


	6. Ezio's plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This part plays in a non excisting catacomb in Venice

An hour before sunrise.

The catacombs in Venice, several of them laying deep beneath the churches, hiding hundred, maybe thousand years of history. The catacombs beneath the Santi Giovanni e Paolo church are the one that remained hidden from the public. They where discovered though, but they where never further explored by the Venetians, the corridors where simply to deep and dangerous, also the explorers believed it was haunted.

The catacombs of Santi Giovanni e Paolo, when someone enters through one of the secret passways, he or she comes inside a large round chamber with a 6 meter wide tunnel in the middle of the room, the tunnel was dark as a starless night and could easily be 60 meters deep. The Venetians believe that, at the bottom of the tunnel are more corridors and chambers to be found that are build underneath the water. But no one had the proper material, and sometimes the courage to go down, so the tunnel remained out of the question for explorers and visitors. 

A roar was sounded in the catacombs and echoed through the entire building, it came from a enterance in the wall inside the round chamber of the catacombs. A large beast crawled out of the enterance, it had greyish skin and red hairs, razor sharp claws and wings. The Vargheist jumped down inside the tunnel and tried to keep his balance the best he could, but he was badly wounded and barley able to fly anymore. He roared as he fel down the tunnel, 20 meters, 30 meters, 40 meters. When he was at 55 meters he clapped his wings a few times to make a soft landing, and with that the Vargheist fel on the moist bottom of the tunnel, completely exhausted. The Vargheist changed, his body shrunk in size and his skin colour changed. His wings and red hairs dissapeared as his claws turned into human hands. After a few seconds a man in black robes laid on the bottom, he looked very old, maybe 95 years and at the edge of dying, his face was meagre and wrinkly, his hair was white, long and filthy, his dry lips had a vertical scar running over them. The man was wounded on his chest, shoulder and on his arm. The old man breathed heavy as he looked to his right, to one of the corridors that leaded to the hidden catacombs, something moved towards him, some humanoid shapes appeared and came closer quickly. 

The creatures where a little shorter than the average man and looked a little like humans. They where incredible meagre, their bodies where just a skeleton with a lair of skin drapped upon it, no muscles nor fat. Their arms and legs where long and boney with long, filthy nails growing on their hands. Their faces had something human like, the same shape and proportions, but that was really all. They had a snout instead of a nose, large, rotting sharp teeth, and white lifeless eyes. These creatures where Ghouls.  
The Ghouls ran towards the old man that had fallen down the tunnel and gathered around him, despite that Ghouls are not sympathetic creatures, they did seem to care for the old man. "Bl...blood" the old man whispered with a dying voice "I...I need...b...blood". The Ghouls did seem to expect this, immidiatley another Ghoul appeared with a filled cup in his hands, he walked to the old man and holded the cup under his mouth, as the other ones supported the mans head.  
Slowly and carefully the man started drinking, swallowing the blood that the Ghouls fed him. Right after the blood went down the mans esophagus, his body changed again. His wrinkles dissapeared and his skin turned clear and more healthy, his hair changed from white to grey and eventually to brown, his body became masculine and well fed, also his wounds seemed to heal. As soon as the men released his mouth from the cup his body had been recovered to its original strenght "Much better" Ezio hissed. 

Ezio stood up slowly and tried to walk a little, but he still was dizzy and nearly fel down, he catched his balance just in time. "Go get me more supply blood" he demanded to the Ghouls. The creatures obeyed and dissapeared in one of the corridors. Ezio walked slowly further into an other corridor, while he was supporting himself on the walls. He came to a small stairs that leaded to a room. The room was about 5 by 4 meters in size, a few candles lightened the room, but barley. There was a large canopy bed in the middle of the room with dark coloured blankets and black pillows. On the left side of the room was a desk filled with maps and papers, a small candle that stood ontop of a skull lightened the desk. On the right side was a coat of arms that holded various weapons. Ezio walked to the bed and placed himself on it, still catching his breath and recovering his energy. On that moment one of the Ghouls came in with another filled cup. "Thank you" Ezio said as he took the cup and sipped from the blood. "Where is Cristina by the way?" he asked to the Ghoul, the creature pointed at the desk, where something was hiding in the shadow.  
"Miaauuw" it sounded from the desk, and the black cat from tonight jumped on the bed. She walked to Ezio as she purred loudly and patted under his arm with her head. "Ciao tesoro" Ezio whispered to the cat as she caressed her head and over her back. The cat walked behind Ezio's and laid her paw on his back. The paw of the cat seemed to grow in size, and so did the cat, suddenley, the paw had turned into a womans hand. Ezio looked behind him and smiled as he looked in the hazel eyes of a smiling young woman. The woman was a little shorter then Ezio, she had half long black hair, that was combed to the right of her head and held together by a hairdecoration. She had thin, dark styled eyebrows, a round nose and her face was a little round shaped as well. She wore a long yellow dress, with white sleeves, with red edges running over the arm, body and shoulder parts. Her neck was covered by a large red collar that stood up. She had a beautifull smile, and all with all it was a really attractive woman. The only difference was that two sharp canines where to be seen as she smiled. Ezio brought his face to her and kissed her on her lips "You really saved me tonight Cristina" he said as he kissed her and caressed her neck. 

"It was the least I could do" Cristina said as she came sitting next to Ezio, she opened his robes and looked at the wounds in his chest, she also looked at Ezio's arm, seeing the blood of the bulletwound. "Oh, poor baby" Cristina gasped softly "look what that mean witch hunter did to you" she said as she looked mad to the wounds.  
"I have to say that I was lucky" Ezio said as he sipped from the blood "there was nothing in the chest in the Giordano villa, it was all a trap" he said as Cristina massaged Ezio's shoulders.  
"That witch hunter...He/she knew all of my weaknesses and used them against me" Ezio said as he was thinking back.  
"I would love to see the life vanish from his/her pretty little face" Cristina whispered in Ezio's ear and kissed it. Ezio chuckled "In time" he smirked "First I want to know where the real chest is, I doubt they would hide it somewhere in the Giordano villa right now" he said. Ezio drunk the last bit of blood and handed the cup to the Ghoul who was still in the room. "Send out the bats!" he ordered the Ghoul "Let them gather information about the chest", the Ghoul made a bow to Ezio and dissapeared. 

"Speaking of the Giordano villa" Cristina said as she took Ezio's face in her hands and turned him towards her "I was near the window of the villa the other night, and I had seen how you painted that Giordano woman...naked" she smirked. Ezio said nothing and gained a little blush on his face. "You have been naughty again, haven't you?" Cristina hissed as she rubbed her hands over his chest. "I like to give my victims a little...fun...before they die" Ezio smirked "Besides, it was also pretty naughty from you to watch me" Ezio smirked to Cristina. Cristina chuckled softly "I just love to see how you manipulate those foolish mortal girls to do what you want" she said as she kissed Ezio's cheek.  
Ezio turned around and kissed Cristina on her mouth as he laid her down on the bed. "You will get to enjoy much more" Ezio whispered as he brought his face down to Cristinas neck and kissed it "I promise you, we will catch that witch hunter, and drink every drip of his/her blood...after we tortured him/her a bit" Ezio said gasping on Cristinas neck. Cristina smiled because of the thought as she enjoyed Ezio's kisses. Ezio untied the laces on the front side of Cristinas dress and pulled them apart from eachother, revealing her breasts. "And what about those councillors?" Cristina asked "One of them is working together with the witch hunter, and that other one can also be a problem" she said. Ezio smiled and kept kissing Cristina, as he caressed her breasts "Hmmm" he was thinking as he traveled with his nose and mouth over Cristinas breast, Cristina gasped softly. "I am not sure yet" Ezio said "But there is no hurry, they both lost someone dear, let them suffer a while longer" he said on a dark tone, Cristina chuckled and Ezio brought his face back to her mouth "As soon the chest is mine..." Ezio gasped "We will have the power to bring night to Venice...an everlasting night!" Ezio said as he laid on Cristina and moved his lower body around her sensative parts. "Then these foolish mortals are trapped in our midnight aristocracy...and we will play with them...until they can't take it anymore...then afterwards...we will have their delicious blood" Ezio said as he gasped for some air. Cristina giggled "You are such a mean man" she joked as Ezio went down to her breasts again. "rather naughty" he whispered as he looked Cristina in the eye whilst kissing her. 

Ezio was pleasuring Cristina on the bed, only his kisses and Cristinas moans where to be heard in the catacombes, until a voice sounded in the room. "Master Ezio" someone said, Ezio looked to the enterance and saw a man standing, he looked around 60 years. He was meagre, wrinkly and ugly, the few hairs he had on his head where grey and unwashed. He had black eyes and a small mouth filled with rotten theeth. He wore robes that seemed to come from dead corpses and walked with a wooden staff with a human skull on top. Ezio kissed Cristina one more time on her breasts before he turned to the man "This better be important, Sextus" he said to the man "I am kinda busy" Ezio smirked.  
"I assure you master, you won't be dissapointed" Sextus said as he bowed "My minions and I have returned from Firenze, we have the coffins you requested" he said. With that Ezio stopped kissing and looked Sextus in the eye "Show them" he hissed. 

Sextus walked out of the bedroom and into the middle of the catacombs, the bottom of the tunnel. Ezio and Cristina followed him. A couple of Ghouls came into the room, they carried in 3 wooden coffins, and placed them in the middle of the room. Ezio gasped softly as he walked towards them and inspected them "you...you are sure these are the right ones?" Ezio asked. Sextus nodded "Open them" he ordered to the Ghouls. The creatures opened the lids of the coffins and pulled them off, Ezio looked inside the coffins, there where 3 skeletons, 2 large skeletons and 1 smaller one. "It..its them" Ezio said with a shaking voice. Slowly, he walked to the coffin on the far left, where one of the large skeletons laid in, he wore remains of long, winered robes with a white collar "father" Ezio whispered as he smiled weakly to the lifeless remains "at long last" he whispered as he touched the skull of his father. Ezio went to the middle coffin, another tall skeleton. This one weared a red with black shirt with a wide, open collar, black pants and brown boots. "Federico" Ezio whispered as he kept looking to his older brothers remains for a while. Quikley he walked to the last coffin, where the smaller skeleton was in, this one weared a yellow with brown suit, that had a white collar decoration, a large brown pants with little black shoes. Ezio looked at this one as the tears filled his eyes "Even little Petruccio" he said sobbing. Ezio fel on his knees with his hands for his eyes, he was crying out loud. After a few seconds he stood up and dried his tears "wake them up, Sextus" he said.  
Sextus lifted up his wooden staff and pointed it high up, some sounds came out of the coffins. Ezio looked how the skeletons started to move, the boney, lifeless hands grabbed the edges of the coffins and lifted themselves out. Ezio looked full of happyness and wonder how the skeletons of his father and brothers climbed out of the coffins, and lined up in front of him. 

Ezio looked at the remains of his family standing in front of him for a while. "Soon, my family" he whispered to the emotionless skeletons, he knew they could not hear him, but still Ezio wanted to talk to them. "Just be patient a little longer, then I promise you, you will come back to life, in your full glory" he said as he walked around the skelletons. "Now, you just have your bones and your clothes" Ezio continued "But soon, you will have your skin back, your hearth, your lungs, your blood, YOUR VERY SOUL!" he shouted as he looked to the skelletons, who still didn't move "Soon" Ezio said on a way darker and softer tone "I can begin your full resurection...when the piece of Eden...is mine".


	7. The apple of Eden

The doors of the Doge's room where opened and you walked in, still supported by Emilia and Isabella. The chamber was large, tall and in rectangular form. There where large windows with red curtains on the right side, a few closests and cabinets on the left side. In the middle stood a table with a couple of comfortable chairs. Doge Domenico stood near the window, overlooking the courtyard of the palace "you wanted to speak to me, signore?" you asked as you came closer, walking went better and better by the minute for you.  
"Yes indeed" the Doge said as he turned around "Witch hunter, for what task did I hire you?" The Doge asked as he looked strictley at you.  
You where kind of confused by the question "I am hired to catch the vampire" you replied, the Doge nodded "Correct" he said "Then why have you deceided to place councillor Giordano into custody?!" He asked with a little anger in his tone, but you where not intimidated, you crossed your arms and looked the Doge in the eyes. "For 2 reasons, signore" you said "one, for his own saftey...two, Ezio wanted to have whatever was in the chest councillor Giordano brought from Cyprus" you said, and with that the Doge's head turned red. "How...wh...what makes you think that?" he asked.  
"I have done research to who the vampires next target would be, and why. I think Ezio is looking for a powerfull item." you said as you looked at the Doge with a penetrating look "What is in the chest, signore?" you asked. When you asked this, the Doge's head turned red again and he looked around a bit nervous.  
"Th...That is actually non of your buisness" the Doge said as he looked at you with a threatnig look, but again, it didn't intimidate you "If it is an object Ezio desires, it is pretty much my buisness" you said steadfast "Doge, I need to know it! If it falls in Ezio's hands, we all could be in danger!"  
"Witch hunter, I assure you, what is in the chest is important to me, it has not the vampires intrest" the Doge said quikley "Ezio was looking for councillor Giordano" he said  
"But I..." you tried to say, but the Doge interupted you again "It was a rude action of you to take the councillor into custody, but it worked, so good job." the Doge said as he walked to you and leaded you to the door. The Doge leaded, well, pushed you out of the room, Emilia and Isabella followed. "Thank you witch hunter, thats all I needed to know" he said. As soon as the three of you stood outside, you turned around to say something but the Doge closed the door.

"The Doge is lying" you said as you took a sip of your wine. You were in your room in the palace with councillor Battaglia and the 3 girls. "Ezio was specifically looking for the chest in the Giordano villa" you said.  
"We believe you ( your name ) " the councillor said "I could try to convince the Doge to tell you what is in the chest" he said, but you shaked your head "I doubt he will, it is your word against that of the Doge and councillor Giordano" you said as you took another sip of the wine "But what are we going to do then?" Isabella asked "We have to find out what is in that chest" she said. You drunk the last bit of the wine and placed the cup on the table "I have been thinking about it" you said "The Doge is not fair to me, so I dont have to be fair to him...I want to break into his room and look for the chest" you said.  
"Thats easier said then done" the councillor said "I just walked by the Doge's room, 4 guards are standing there, they are ordered to keep you and me out, witch hunter" the councillor said, you where thinking. "there must be some way to get into the room, some kind of diversion perhaps" you said.  
You where looking around, thinking for something that could work as a diversion. When you looked at the 3 girls in the room you gained an idea.  
"What?" Isabella asked as she saw you looking at her and the orher girls, you started smiling and Isabellas eyes widened "oh no, no no no!" she said firmly, apperantley she figured out what you where thinking.

"You girls said you wanted to help me with anything" you said " I think you will be the perfect distraction for the guards" you smiled. Isabella shaked her head as she tried to find words "We...I...err...Palace guards are not our type!" She said quickly , but it made you chuckle "Emilia went to the Carnaval with one of the Doge's guards" you said, neutralizing Isabella's point.  
The girls still looked for something to say, but just a bit of stuttering came out. "Councillor, say something!" Allessandra siad to councillor Battaglia, but he just stood motionless and looked as innocent as he could. "I am sorry girls, I agree with ( your name ) at this" he said.  
The 3 girls went into a closed circle and mumbled something to eachother. After a few seconds Isabella turned around "150 florins and then we do it" she said.  
You sighed and felt in your pockets "grab-alls" you hissed as you gave Isabella a little bag with money. "Distract them long enough for me to get into the room, search it and to get out again, okay" you said, the girls nodded.  
"The Doge and the guards will keep an eye on us, so when you are finished we gather at my house ( your name )" the councillor said to you, you nodded to him and left the room with the 3 girls.

The 4 guards in front of the Doges room stood motionless, but ready for anything. Their eyes raged around the quiet corridor looking for any movement. Something appeared on their right, all 4 guards looked to the right, it where those 3 girls who acompanied the witch hunter. " Hey boys" the girl called Emila said as she laid her hand on the breastplate of one of the guards "what are you doing?" The second girl called Allessandra asked. "Signori" one of the guards said while he still stood motionless in position "We need to guard the doges room" he said. The girls yawned "that sounds boring" the last girl named Isabella said "don't strong, handsome men like you deserve a break? Come with us, we have wine" she said. The guards couldn't help but smile "We can't bella donna's" one guard said "We must make sure the witch hunter doesn't come into the room" he said.  
"The witch hunter?" Emila asked "oh, he/she is so boring, he/she is somewhere in the city, busy with a stupid mystery" she said.  
"But you guys are fun aren't you?". Allessandra asked as she took one of the guards his arm. "Please, we are so lonely and bored" Isabella said on a almost begging tone "please come with us" she said as she also pulled on the arm of one guard. This was the moment the guards broke, they left their position and went with the girls. The 3 young women leaded the guards through the hall and into an other room. Isabella was the last one to enter, before she closed the door of the room she pointed up her thumb, signing that you could go further.

As soon as the door of the other room was closed, you came into the hallway and walked to the Doges room. You opened the door slowly and peeked into the Doges room, no one was there, you slided yourself in and closed the door as silentley as you could. You looked around the room where you were an hour ago. You walked to a large wooden chest on your left and opened it, nothing their, except some scrolls and small boxes, when you where done searching you closed it again. You went to the closet near the large chest, you opened it and explored it with your eyes, only some clothes that where hanging their but no chest, you closed it again. You looked inside another closet, under the couch, behind the curtains, but still nothing. Until, you saw a small oakenwooden cabinet standing next to the window, you walked to it and tried to open it "damn, its locked" you thought as you pulled on the little doors. Unfortunatly you didn't bring your tools, and it was too late to go get them now.  
There where sounds appearing in the hallway, you gasped as you heared the Doges voice in the distance comming closer and closer. You stood up and looked around the room "I have to hide" you thought as you looked around. "The closet" you thought as you ran towards it, you pulled open the doors and placed yourself in the closet, you pulled the doors back. As soon as the closet doors where closed the doors of the room opened. There where some openings in the wood of the closet doors so you could look in the room. You saw Doge Domenico comming in, followed by councillor Giordano.

"Nobody has been here, thank god" you heard the Doge say to the councillor "That witch hunter is getting suspicious, he/she sticks his/her nose into buisness that don't concern him/her." you heard the Doge say, you looked trough the narrow openings in the wooden door and you saw councillor Giordano taking place on the couch as he looked around the room. "Where have you left the chest, signore?" he asked, and with that, the Doge took a key out of his pocket and walked to the oakenwood cabinet that you didn't open. He unlocked the doors, opened them and took the chest out, that was the chest that councillor Giordano brought from Cyprus. The Doge placed the chest on the table in the middle of the room, the councillor inspected it curiously. "The object that is in this chest, is it really that important?" he asked, at the same time the door of the room opened and another person came in.  
"It is more important then you can ever imagine" an unknown male voice said. You moved your face a little near the openings so you could see who came into the room. An old man stepped into the room, he was tall and chubby. He wore long black robes that covered his entire body, a red strip of clothing was visable in the middle of his robes. Also this man weared a black hood that covered half his face, only his fat chin with a short grey beard was to be seen.  
"Rodrigo Borgia, welcome" the Doge said as he walked to the man called Rodrigo and shaked his hand "Please signore, take a seat" the Doge said as he pointed to the couch. "Move it!" the Doge hissed to councillor Giordano, signing that he should stand up for Rodrigo Borgia. The councillor stood up and Rodrigo took place on his seat, the Doge poured in 3 glasses of wine, handed one to Rodrigo and one to the councillor. "So, the apple of Eden is in this chest?" Rodrigo asked as he looked at the chest on the table, the Doge nodded.  
"Apple of Eden?" you thought as you listened attentively to the 3 men. You took your notebook and a pencil out of your pocket, as quiet as you could you wrote down 'apple of Eden'. You looked back into the room and saw how Rodrigo opened the chest and looked inside. You where just unable to see what was inside, but it was glowing very brightley, Rodrigo, the Doge and the councillor seemed hypnotised by it, the trance was broken as Rodrigo closed the chest.

"Fantastic work gentlemen" Rodrigo said as he sipped from his wine. "The father of understanding has been kind to us, with the apple at our disposal, our plans could turn into a reality. " he said joyfull, the Doge and the councillor smiled wideley. The Doge raised his glass "A toast to our succes, gentlemen" he said, and also Rodrigo and the councillor raised their glasses.  
You didn't know what this was about at all, apple of Eden, father of understanding, what where these men talking about? On that moment you heared a couple of people yell and shout on the Plaza outside, it were those protestors from earlier, who demanded to know what the flying creature from last night was.  
"What is all this commotion about?" Rodrigo asked as he looked to one of the large windows.  
"I have to say, you are visiting Venezia in...interesting times, signore" the Doge said to Rodrigo, who sipped from his wine again.  
"A vampire named Ezio has been spotted in the city, who..."  
The Doge could not finish his sentence, because Rodrigo allmost choked in his wine, he spit it out and couched loudly. "Ez...cough!...EZIO?!" he shouted.  
The Doge and the councillor both looked shocked to Rodrigo, also you were all ears. "You...you know him?" the Doge asked softly, surprised and terryfied to Rodrigo.  
Rodrigo wiped the sweat from his forhead "err...yes...yes I know him" he said with a shaking voice. Inside the closet you stepped a little closer to the door to hear everything the best you could. When you stepped on one of the wooden bars, it cracked softly. You holded in your breath and looked into the room, but fortunately, the men didn't hear it.

Rodrigo had gathered his thoughts and began on his story "His full name is Ezio Auditore da Firenze" he said, you wrote this down immediatley. "He was born and raised in Firenze, with his mother and father, his younger brother, younger sister and one older brother." Rodrigo said as the two men and you listened attentivley. "He wasn't allways a vampire, he was a human once" Rodrigo said "He was a quite rebellious young man, who cared little for his studies and more for fighting, wine and women" Rodrigo said, inside the closet you wrote 'was human' on your notebook. "When he was around 17 or 18 years old, I had his father and two brothers arrested." Rodrigo said  
"Why?" The Doge asked  
"The father belonged to the Assassin brotherhood" Rodrigo said "My companion, Uberto Alberti saw to it that they where executed the very next day." he said and sipped from his wine. "The first time I saw Ezio was at the doorstep of signore Alberti, he was begging for help, I saw him wearing the assassin robes of his father." he said. Despite that you never heard of an assassin brotherhood you wrote this down. "Signore Alberti fooled him, and the boy withnessed his father and brothers being hanged to death." he said, you tried to make as less sound as possible but this made you swallow "poor guy" you thought.  
"We tried to kill Ezio but he escaped Firenze with his mother and sister, after he...ahum...killed signore Alberti" Rodrigo continued "I had underestimated him, The Pazzi family and I tried to take over Firzenze, but Ezio took revenge, he killed nearly the entire familiy, on his own." Rodrigo said, the Doge and the Councillor looked frightened at eachother.  
"Still Ezio could not accept the death of his kin, he swore he would do anything, ANYTHING to get them back." Rodrigo continued "Soon I heard that Ezio's journey to bring back his family, brought him into contact with...the dark powers." he said.  
"He recieved the power of immortality, and the ability to resurrect the dead, in exchange...for his soul" Rodrigo said. "The next day he woke up, he could never enjoy sunlight anymore, and his only meal would be human blood." he said.  
You still listened with full attention "so this is how Ezio changed into a vampire" you thougth as you wrote it down.

"In secrecy Ezio returned to Firenze, broke into the crypts, and resurrected his father and brothers" Rodrigo said again "But the dark powers never pay, Ezio was only able to make their bones move and walk, but nothing more." Rodrigo said, the Doge and the councillor chuckled.  
"Soon, the local witch hunters found out about Ezio's necromantic powers, and hunted him down." Rodrigo said "Ezio was on the run, as much as he wanted to, he could not take his families remains with him." he said.  
"What happened then?" The Doge asked as he sat on the edge of the couch.  
"Ezio planned to flee Firenze again, but not alone this time" Rodrigo said, you pressed your ear to the door in the closet "two more individuals have been involved with Ezio's plans" Rodrigo continued "Ezio's girlfriend, Cristina Vespucci."  
"Did she go willingly with a unholy demon?!" the councillor asked loudly, but Rodrigo shaked his head.  
"Ezio...somehow shared some of his powers with Cristina...also in exchange for her soul" Rodrigo said.  
Inside the closet, you felt your blood turn into ice as you started breathing heavily, you got your breath under control just in time. "There are 2 vampires!" you thought "of course, Cristina must have been that black cat" you thought. With shaking hands you wrote her name down.  
"And the second person?" the Doge asked.  
"He is a necromancer named Sextus" Rodrigo said with a sour face "a truely disgusting being, he has exchanged his last bit of humanity for knowledge of the grave." he said as he drunk the last bit of his wine. "He was locked away in the Palazzo della signora, to be burned at the stake the very next day, but that night Ezio and Cristina broke him out, Ezio saw him as a potential ally and as tutor for his new gained powers." Rodrigo said.  
You wrote 'Sextus, necromancer' down on your notebook.  
"The three of them fled Firenze, and I did not hear from Ezio since, until now" Rodrigo said as he cleared his throat "But now my question to you Doge: What is Ezio doing in Venice?" Rodrigo asked.

You looked at the Doge, he looked at the ground and tried to find words. You saw that he realized he could be in big trouble. "We think...although...the witch hunter I hired thinks...Ezio is looking for...the apple" the Doge said.  
Rodrigo rubbed over his head "If that is true, then entire Italy, perhaps the whole world has a huge problem" he said "the apple contains powers beyond anyones understanding, if it falls into Ezio's hands, and he can combine it with his dark magic, who knows what will happen."  
"Do not worry signore" the Doge said "The witch hunter I hired is allready trying to find him, he/she is very fanatical in his/her job."  
Rodrigo still seemed worried "I hope he/she is, because Ezio is someone who is very determined, he will not rest until absolute power is his." Rodrigo said.  
"What are we going to do with the apple?" the councillor asked as he pointed to the chest. Rodrigo laid his hands on the chest "we must be patient" he said "no doubt Ezio knows that the apple is somewhere in Venice, if we take it away we would draw too much attention to ourselves." Rodrigo said, he took the chest and gave it to the Doge.  
"We must trust that your witch hunter will succeed in hunting down Ezio, until then, the apple stays in the vaults of the palace." Rodrigo said, the Doge nodded "Signore, the witch hunter may not know about the apple" the Doge said "he/she allready suspects things, he/she may not know that we have a supernaturel item." he said while the three of them walked to the door. Rodrigo nodded "Fine, we will hide the apple and let the witch hunter do his/her job, when Ezio is defeated, we will arrest him/her, then no one will be in our way." Rodrigo said, the councillor opened the door, you peeked through the openings in the wood, you saw the guards didn't return yet.  
"Inform me when anything interesting is happening." Rodrigo said to the two men as he laid his hand on his heart "May the father of understanding guide us." he said.  
"May the father of understanding guide us." the Doge and the councillor said at the same time, at that moment they left the room and closed the door.

As soon as the footsteps faded away you opened the closet doors and came out of your hiding place. You walked to the door, your entire body shaked of all the things you just heard. This was a goldmine of information, not only of Ezio, but also about the Doge's conspiracy. You walked to the door and opened it as slowly and silently as you could, you peeked through the opening, still no guards. You opened the door completely and walked through the hallway, on your way to councillor Battaglias home.

You were in the Battaglia villa, the councillor and the three girls were allready there. The entire house smelled like garlic to keep Ezio away, however the strong, penetrating smell also invaded your nostrils. Luckely Isabella was cooking, so the kitchen was filled with the smell of pasta and roasted fish. The five of you were sitting on the table, eating and discussing what you heard in the palace.  
"So after they freed the necromancer, they fled Firenze." you said, finishing your story about Ezio's past. "So he was not allways a vampire" the councillor said, you nodded.  
"But, Ezio just wants to reunite with his family" Emilia said "and he can do that with this...whats it called again?" she asked.  
"Apple of Eden" you replied

"Yes, that. Is it really so bad if he would get the apple?" she asked "Does it matter that much if he brings back his family?" she asked again to you, but you shaked your head.  
"Vampires are very unreliable" you said "Ezio knows he can achieve much, much more with this thing".  
"But, he was not allways a vampire, he was a human, maybe..." Emilia said, but you interupted her "A human who exchanged his very soul for dark powers" you said "things like compassion or humbleness are not in his nature anymore" you said steadfast.  
Emilia kept quiet. You where thinking again "But I do not know what the Doge wants with the apple, and what Rodrigo Borgia has to do with it" you said as you put a piece of fish in your mouth.  
"That whole Borgia family is insane, ( your name )!" Councillor Battaglia said "They stop at nothing to get what they want, Rodrigo has killed anyone who stood in his way to power, and I heard that his son and daughter have a sexual relationship together." the councillor said full of digust.  
"I like to believe that Rodrigo kills anyone who opposes him" you said "I heard them talking, they will backstab us as well, when I succeded in defeating Ezio." you said.  
"So what are we going to do now?" Allessandra asked worried, and everyone looked at you.  
You where thinking "Play along for now" you said "They are not aware I know of their scheme, so that is an advantage we have." you said as you finished the last bits of your food. "The Doge is keeping the apple inside the vaults of the palace" you said "I do not know what my next step to track Ezio down will be, but I want to make sure the apple is safe for tonight" you said as you looked outside, the sun was setting. "It was delicious Isabella" you said as you laid your cutlery on your plate "but I have to go to the Doge's palace, I stay there for tonight" you said as you stood up and walked to the door. "Don't think we are not going with you, ( your name )!" Isabella said as the three girls and the councillor also stood up. You tried to say something but you could not find any words "besides, 10 eyes see way more then 2" Isabella said.  
You sighed, but with a happy smile on your face "Very well, come along" you said as the five of you left the room. 

Ezio stood motionless in front of the three coffins in the catacombs, caught up in his thoughts. He remembered how dissapointed he was to find out his necromantic powers could not fully resurrect his family. Ezio balded his fist in anger, a couple of shuffeling bones could not give him anything, they needed to have everything back. Ezio walked circles around the coffins, he remembered, years ago, how he started to loose hope, but as soon as he heard of the apple of Eden, he knew that he could bring his family back to life, in their full glory.  
The silence in the catacombs was broken by a high sounding squeak and the flapping of wings. Ezio looked up, the bats had returned, he saw a whole swarm flying towards him. The bats flew down to Ezio, they kept hovering in front of him, the leader of the swarm came forward towards Ezio. "What news?" Ezio asked  
"Squeak squeak!" the bat said to his master as he hovered in front of the vampires eyes.  
"The Doge's palace!" Ezio said hopefully "Where exact?!" he asked.  
"Squeak squeak!" the bat replied and Ezio nodded "The vaults" he whispered as he placed his hand on his chin and thought. Ezio grabbed something out of his pocket and showed the bats a handfull of dead insects, the bats started to gather around Ezio's hand and thankfully ate their reward, "You guys can go now" he said to the bats as soon as they had finished their meal, and with that the swarm flew away.  
"The palace vaults?" a womens voice said, Ezio looked on his right and looked at Cristina appearing. Ezio walked towards her smiling and greeted her with a kiss on her mouth. "Si, amore mio" Ezio whispered "I am not that happy that it is there, we can't go in their unless we are invited to by the owner." he said.  
"So? we can manipulate that Doge" Cristina said "Forcing him to allow us access" she said but Ezio shaked his head.  
"That will take way too long, besides the Doge barley leaves his palace." he said "We need to have the apple as quikley as possible."  
Ezio walked around and thought for a moment. On that moment, Sextus came into the room, Ezio looked at him and started smiling, he had a plan.  
"Sextus, gather your shadow Ghouls" Ezio said "We are breaking in into the palace...tonight!".


	8. Midnight assault

At nighttime, Venice used to be a city of light, life and love, yes, it used to be. After Ezio's attacks people became afraid, everyone made sure they where inside their homes at nigthtime and had all the doors and windows properley closed. Houses smelled like garlic and all had a crucifix hanging on the door. The once lightened, crowded, cozy streets had become abandoned and mournful. When the sun was set, nobody was outside, no painters, no merchants, no musicians, even a graveyard had more excitement then this.

The Doge was sleeping while the night shifts of guards patrolled the palace and the streets around it, not only the guards, but you as well. The Doge did not know you had knowledge about the apple. But you knew that it was kept safe in the vaults. You walked trough the hallways of the palace, when you met the lieutenant of the guards. "The Doge has requested me to inspect the saftey of the vaults" you said to the Lieutenant. The young officer, who did not know the Doge actually didn't want you near the apple, accepted and brought you to the vaults. On your way to the vaults, you inspected every inch of the palace, all the windows were closed, guards where patrolling the hallways, the palace did seem reasonably safe. You followed the Lieutenant through a large open door. and a large stairway down. When you where a few meters underground you and the Lieutenant came inside a small room, like 4 by 4 meters in size. At the end of the room was a small Iron gate, locked securely and guarded by 6 guards. "Good job men" you said "Lieutenant, I will be patrolling the hallway, please inform me if anything happens". You said and walked back upstairs. 

"Here, some wine" the guard at the Palace gate said to his companion as he handed him a bottle. "Grazie" the other guard said as he took the bottle and sipped from it "I could use some alcohol during shifts like this" he said. The other guard nodded "tell me about it" he said as he looked at the dark and empty San Marco's plaza "Every night this place used to be full with people, now its nothing more than a ghost town" he said, the other guard looked at him "Please don't say ghost" he hissed.  
The words of the guard were barley said or something sounded on their right, both guards looked shocked and saw a wooden shelf that stood against the wall fall down. At that moment the whole place was silent, only the heavy breathing from the guards was to be heard. "Who...who is there?" one of them asked as they both tried to grab their swords with shaking hands. A shadow appeared from behind the wall, it came closer and closer to the guards. "who is there?!...answer me!" the guard said with his sword drawn as he looked at the shadow comming closer.  
"miauuwh" it sounded and a little black cat appeared in front of the guards.  
The guard sighed relieved as the cat came closer to him. "Aaah, Eduardo look, its just a cute little cat" he said as he patted the cat who purred loudly.  
"Wait a minute..." the other guard said as he looked at his companion cuddeling the cat "thats the same cat who attacked the witch hu..." but just before he could finish his sentence, some metal glistened near his throat, and in the blink of an eye, Ezio's hidden blade cut his throat.  
The guard who patted the cat, turned his head around to see what was going on. But before he could do anything, Ezio's other blade raged forward and stabbed the guard in his mouth, penetrating the back of his neck. 

Ezio pulled his blade back and the guard fel on the ground. Ezio chuckled cruelly as he looked to the dead guards and to the cat who transformed into Cristina, also Sextus appeared from his hiding place.  
"That was easy" Cristina said as she was changed back to her original form. Ezio laid his hand on Cristina's cheeks and smiled "no wonder, your charm is even irresistible when you are a cat" he purred to Cristina, Cristina smiled "stop it" she chuckled.  
"I hate to break your...intimate moments master, but we should hurry" Sextus said as he bowed for Ezio.  
"Your right" Ezio said, the three of them opened the gates of the courtyard of the palace and walked further. They had just taken one step into the courtyard or they where greeted by four guards who ran towards them. "It is forbidden for you to be here!" one of them shouted, as the four of them ran towards the intruders. Ezio and Cristina ran towards the guards with the same agression. Ezio ran towards two of the guards and jumped in the air with both his hands aimed to the guards head, just before he landed, his hidden blades appeared, he stabbed them through the throats of the guards, killing both on the same time.  
Cristina ran towards the other two guars, she grabbed a dagger that was hidden in her belt, and stabbed it in one guards throat. When the guard fel down, the other charged towards her. In the blink of an eye she took another small throwing knife, and threw it to the other guard, it landed in between his eyes, penetrating his skull.  
Ezio didn't waste any time, he ran towards the door of the palace. But as soon as he tried to open it, a sharp, intenste pain penetrated his brain. Nobody did invite Ezio inside the Doge's palace, so his vampire nature didn't allow him to go in.  
Ezio walked away from the door with his hand on his head, the pain reduced. "Allright Sextus, this is as far as Cristina and I can go." Ezio said "now its up to you" Ezio said to Sextus. The necromancer bowed, and with that some creatures appeared from the shadows. They looked like the Ghouls in the catacombs, only a bit smaller and with a darker skin color, these where shadow Ghouls. Smaller, but faster, stealthier and more cunning than their counterparts. "come on, lazy creatures!" Sextus hissed to the shadow Ghouls who came closer. Sextus opened the door of the palace slowly and walked in, followed by his Ghouls squad, while Ezio and Cristina waited outside. 

You walked your endless route through the corridors and hallways of the palace, controling every inch. Inspecting every guard and consider every opportunity that Ezio might have. " Nobody did invite Ezio as far as I know " you thought " So he can't get in, but maybe he will order his minions to invade the palace". You walked towards a small chamber where you saw a rope hanging, this rope leaded to the alarm Bell of the palace. As soon as anyone would ring it, all the guards nearby would come to the rescue, so you had a good back-up. You walked further in the hallways, you greeted a guard you saw on your way " Buona sera signore/signora " the guard said in response. You walked into an other chamber where you met councillor Battaglia and Isabella, they had offered to guard the Apple with you. Councillor Battaglia was armed with a sword and even Isabella caried a knife with her for saftey, Allessandra and Emilia where patroling the western corridors. " Did you find anything suspicious? " You asked to the two of them, both shaked their heads. " no (your name), nothing " Isabella said to you "Witch hunter, are you sure Ezio tries to break into the palace?" She asked you " I mean, the palace is heavely guarded, and how would he know the Apple is here?" She asked.  
" I rather not take any chances " you said as reply " Ezio knew the Apple would be in the Giordano villa as well, so its better to be safe then sorry. " you said as you turned around "Lets recheck the vaults " you said.

" Buona Sera signore/signora " the guard said as he watched you walk into the next hallway. When you where out of sight the guard resumed his shift. He inspected the halls on his left and right, nothing was to be seen. "Aren't we waisting time?" the guard thought " how can someone enter a well guarded and watched place like this?". On that moment, the guard heard something, it sounded like a crawling sound " who is there? " the guard said as he looked to his right and left, nothing to be seen, but still he heard the crawling sound. The guard breathed heavy as he looked around again, still nothing, the crawling came closer and closer " WHO IS THERE!?" The guard shouted with a shaking voice, but as soon as the last word left his mouth, a soft roar sounded behind him, and a rusty dager cut his throat, the guard fel dead on the ground.  
The shadow Ghoul made sure the guard was dead before he signed Sextus that he could come closer. Sextus walked into the corridor, followed by a horde of Shadow Ghouls. " You two, guard the bell tower " Sextus said as he pointed to two of his Ghouls " the rest follows me " the old necromancer demanded, " the vaults should be near ". 

The six guards who guarded the vault didn't move a muscle, they just looked straight ahead to the stairs, nobody said a word. But then, they saw someone getting closer " who goes there?" One of them asked, they did not get a reply, and the person did not seem familiar. The guards grabbed their weapons, but on that moment the torches that lightend up the room went out, covering the room in darkness. There was not much time for the guards to figure out what was going on, the next seccond they where grabbed by a lot of boney hands that slammed clubs, Axes and knives into their armor and their heads. It was to much for the men to handle, they fel on the ground, some dead, some dying. One of them crawled up a little and looked up to a ugly old man in black stinking robes " Foolish mortal " the man whispered, as he smacked the guards head with his wooden staff. Sextus drew his attention from the guard to the iron gate in front of him, the enterance to the vaults. Sextus closed his eyes " Master Ezio " he said in his mind " we have reached the vaults " the necromancer thought. A seccond later, Ezio's voice sounded in Sextus his head "Good work Sextus, now make sure the Apple will be mine " Ezio's voice said. Sextus opened his eyes " you three stand guard " he said to three Ghouls " the rest of you start breaking in. " 

You walked back through the corridors to resume your route again, this time you where followed by the councillor and Isabella. Your eyes where raging through the hallway for anything suspicious. When you turned right your heart skipped a beat and your breath stocked, the guard your greeted a few minutes ago, lay dead on the ground with his throat cut open. The councillor and Isabella both gasped from shock and put their hands for their mouths. " He is here " you said as you took your sword. " Signore, Isabella... Go to the bell tower, sound the alarm, then the guards in the area will immidiatly aid us. " you said, as you turned around to walk away. " ( your name ), where are you going?" Isabella asked, you looked back to her " I am going to the vaults " you said.

Meanwhile, Sextus his Ghouls succeded to break into the vaults, as soon as the door was open Sextus stepped in and looked around the even smaller chamber, he saw the chest his master described in front of him standing on a small table. Sextus looked at one of his Ghouls " open it " he said out of precaution, the Ghoul did as he was ordered and opened the chest. A bright white-golden light filled the room, Sextus and the Ghouls narrowed their eyes to take a better look, the light came from a small, round, shining object, that was it, that was the Apple of Eden. " We have the apple, master " Sextus thought.  
" Excellent!, Now return and bring it to me " he heard Ezio's excited voice in his head. Sextus closed the chest, wrapped his hands thightly around it and walked out of the vaults, followed by his Ghouls. 

You ran through the hallways towards the vaults. You thought back about the guard, you greeted him like 10 minutes ago, so the intruders could not have come very far, they still had to deal with the guards in the vault, so maybe you where not too late. You turned right and left, only one more hall to go before you reached the vaults. When you entered a long hallway you gasped and stopped, someone unfamiliar stood in front of you, an old man who carried something in his hands, you looked a little closer and saw it was the chest that supposed to be in the vault. You looked at the man again, this had to be Sextus, you recognized necromancers by just looking at them. They allways wore clothes that came from corpses, where very thin because of a strict, tasteless diet and allways carried some kind of bone items with them, they avoided any joy of life to come in contact with the dead. " Sextus the necromancer I presume? " you asked as you didn't break eyecontact with him, meanwhile your right hand slided to your pistol on your belt.  
The necromancer smirked " you have done your research, witch hunter " he said, still standing motionless in front of you in the dark hallway. You grabbed your pistol and aimed it at Sextus " It was foolish from you to come here alone " you said.  
With that, Sextus made a dark smile " I am not alone " he whispered, as soon as he had said that, many loud screams and roars filled the room, you gasped as you saw a lot of little yellow eyes around Sextus, and a bunch of small humanoid creatures jumping towards you with loud battlecries. 

You recovered quickly from your shock and stepped back as you aimed your pistol to the creature in front of you. You shot, the bullet went through the creatures head and it fel down on the ground. You grabbed your sword as you took a quick seccond to examine the dead creature in front of you "Shadow Ghouls" you thought "of course, I had to see this comming. "  
One Ghoul jumped towards you from the shadow, swinging a club made from bones in the sky. You saw him just in time, you thrusted your sword forward and penetrated its thin body. When the Ghoul fel dead on the ground 2 more where closing in fast on your right and left, the right one you kicked back with your foot, and with one well aimed swing of your sword you beheaded the left one. You pulled your sword back and charged the Ghoul on the right that you just kicked, you stabbed him in his chest. You saw like 5 more Ghouls comming towards you, quickly you grabbed a throwing knife from your belt and threw it at the middle on, the knife hit his chest. You drew your sword towards you and braced for impact. "Where the hell is that alarm signal?" you thought. 

"This way, quickly!" councillor Battaglia shouted to Isabella as the two of them ran through the corridors of the palace, going to the bell chamber. They turned right, comming near a small lightened chamber where they saw a rope hanging "There it is!" Isabella shouted as she ran towards the rope. But on that moment, the torches went out, and two loud screams filled the room. Two creatures jumped towards Isabella with knives, Isabella screamed loudly as she tried to brace herself. On that moment, councillor Battaglia jumped in front of Isabella with his sword drew, he kicked one of the creatures back and swinged his sword to the other, making a deep cut in its body. "Go! sound the alarm!" the councillor yelled to Isabella as he held the two creatures at bay. Isabella did as she was told and she ran towards the rope, but one of the creatures saw her. As councillor Battaglia was fighting the other one, the creature quickly manouvred around the councillor and jumped on Isabella. Isabella fell down on the ground with the creature on top of her. "GET OF FROM ME!" she screamed as she grabbed the creatures boney, filthy arms, trying to prevent his knife from stabbing her. Then, Isabella remembered she had a knife as well, her right hand reached for her belt while she tried her best to push the creature away. As soon as she felt the handle, she raged the knife forward and stabbed the creature in his head, penetrating his skull.  
The creature was dead, Isabella stood up and quickly ran towards the rope to sound the alarm. 

"DING! DONG!" a loud bell souned, you where breathing releaved when you heard the sound. The Ghouls that you where fighting looked shocked around them, also Sextus seemed to worry. "They haven't won just yet" you thought, and charged forward to the distracted Ghouls. 

"The alarm" Emilia said as she stopped Allessandra, the two girls where on patrol in the western section of the palace with two other guards. "Quickly, we have to get to the vaults!" Allessandra said as the four of them started running. 

"Someone has rang the alarm!" one of the guards patrolling the streets around the San Marco plaza, shouted to his comrades "some thing must be wrong!". The Lieutenant of the guard drew his sword "Everyone to the palace!" he shouted as he leaded his squads to the Doge's palace. 

"No!" Ezio hissed as he heard the alarm bell ring "they have been compromised!". He and Cristina where still waiting in the courtyard of the Palace. Ezio closed his eyes "Sextus, get out of there! It will be swarming with guards soon!" Ezio said in his mind to the necromancer. As soon as Ezio opened his eyes again, he heard shouts in the streets nearby, the guards where comming. "Hold them off Cristina" he said to the other vampire. Cristina gained a cruel smile on her face "As you wish" she said to Ezio. 

"Sextus, get out of there! It will be swarming with guards soon!" Sextus heard Ezio say in his head. Sextus looked at you, you where still holding off two Ghouls. Sextus stepped back softley, as soon as he reached the corner he turned around and made a run for it.  
You stabbed the last Ghoul in his chest with your sword, when you pulled back you saw from your eye corners how Sextus fled. "Coward!" you screamed as you started to run after him. While you where running you reloaded your pistol, you turned around the corner and saw Sextus run, you where younger and stronger than Sextus so you came near him quickly. You aimed your pistol and shot at the necromancer, the bullet hit one of Sextus his arms. Sextus screamed loudly as the bullet penetrated his arm, from the shock he dropped the chest on the ground. Sextus turned around and tried to grab the chest, but on that moment he saw four more people closing in from another hallway, two guards and two other girls. The guards and the girls ran towards him with their weapons drawn, also the witch hunter drew his/her sword and came closer. Sextus his morale broke, he left the chest and made a run for the exit, while you, Emilia and Allessandra followed by the two guards chased him. 

The guards on the streets closed in on the palace quickly, they where allready on the San Marco's plaza. The Lieutenant was running ahead, followed by six guards armed with swords and halberds. "Hello boys!" A female voice suddenly sounded, the guards stopped and looked where it was comming from. The Lieutenant looked up and saw Cristina, right above him jump off from the rooftops, however he didn't have time to react. Cristina had two daggers in her hands that she brutelly stabbed in the Lieutenants face as soon as she landed on him. Cristina stood up from the dead body of the Lieutenant and looked at the six frightened men in front of her. One of them had gathered his courage and charged forward with his halberd, Cristina skillfully, and stylefully, evaded the halberd and stabbed one of her daggers in the throat of the guard. As the other guards where closing in, Cristina placed her feet on the guard, and used him to push herself up. Cristina jumped in the air, with two guards below her. Then, Cristina spreaded her legs, and two knives appeared from under her shoes. With a quick rotating movement she stabbed the shoe-knives in the guards their faces as she landed. As soon as she touched the ground again, the two guards fell dead on the ground, just three where left. She ran towards the middle man and pushed him down the ground. As soon as the guard laid down, Cristina aimed her arms to the left and right and she threw her two daggers at the guards left and right, killing both of them. The guard below Cristina tried to break free, but the vampire lady was surprisingly strong. "Join me for dinner" Cristina whispered softly with a dark smile to the guard. The guard screamed as Cristina showed him her canines and placed them in his neck.

Ezio waited in the shadows of the courtyard for Sextus to arrive, he heard some yells and screams from inside the Palace, also on the street he heard Cristina fighting with the guards. The door of the palace was opened, Ezio looked at the enterance of the palace and saw Sextus comming out of it, he was wounded and out of breath, but without the chest. Ezio ran towards the necromancer who fell on the ground. "What happend?" Ezio asked  
"Th...The...witch...hunter..." Sextus said heavy breathing as he laid his hand on the wound on his arm. Before Ezio could ask anymore questions some more people came out from the front door. He looked at the group, his eyes widened as he looked you in the eye, he knew your face all to well. 

For a moment your eyes met Ezio's brown ones, and suddenley the time seemed to stop. All the sound, people, smells and colours seemed to disappear, only you and Ezio, having eye contact existed on that moment. However these few short secconds where broken by Ezio's roar, as he charged towards you with his sword. You came to your senses just in time, you drew your sword and stopped Ezio's charge. You pulled back and tried to stab Ezio with your sword, but the vampire evaded and countered, swinging his sword to your right arm. You where just too late to block and the sword sliced into your arm, making a deep cut that bleeded heavy. Ezio closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose "warm blood" he purred. With that Ezio raged forward to you again, you blocked the attack, but another one just as fast followed, and another one, you where constantly on the defence and had barley time to react. Behind Ezio, the two guards who where with Emilia and Allessandra closed in and tried to attack Ezio in the back, but the vampire was an excellent duellist and allrady saw this comming. He made a quick backward move and sliced his sword with raging speed through the sky, the two guards who where unfortunate enough to be in Ezio's range where beheaded in a matter of secconds.  
This tragedy however, gave you time to recover and react, you charged forward and your sword met with Ezio's. By the sudden power and surprise, Ezio's sword fel out of his hands, you thought you had dellivered a succesfull surprise attack, but it was your turn to get surprised. Out of Ezio's sleeves appeared two long, thin blades, you where not even ready or he charged you again. 

Isabella and councillor Battaglia also arrived at the courtyard where they met Emilia and Allessandra. Isabella gasped softly as she saw you fighting with Ezio "Its him" she whispered and ran onto the courtyard, councillor Battaglia tried to stop Isabella from getting involved, but she was to fast for him. "He/She can't do this alone!" Isabella shouted to the other girls "We have to help!". Isabella ran forward with her knife in her hand, followed by Emilia and Allessandra, who where first doubting, but now full of courage. "I dont think so, darlings" A unfamiliar female voice said, Isabella looked to her left and saw Cristina charging towards her, before she could react, Cristina kicked Isabella aside with her feet. "Bitch!" Isabella hissed as she stood up and wrapped her hand around the place where Cristina had kicked her. Emilia and Allessandra ran towards Cristina screaming, with their knives aimed at her. The nimble vampire evaded the charging girls with ease, she grabbed Emila and Allessandra by their collars and lifted them up. Isabella gasped as she saw the vampire lift two full grown women, like they where feathers. Cristina had been drinking the blood of the guard, so her physical powers where at their maximum level. With a loud roar, Cristina threw away the two women. Emilia and Allessandra landed with their backs on the palace wall and fell on the ground. "Girls!" Isabella shouted as she ran towards her friends, they where still alive though, but they did seem to have broken a few bones. Cristina payed them no attention anymore and walked towards you and Ezio. 

You where trying your best to evade and block Ezio's hidden blades, but he moved way to swiftly and closed in fast. When you blocked the first attack he had, the next one ready within the blink of an eye. You tried to reach your pocket on your belt, that was where your special weapons where in, but Ezio grabbed your arm "Don't you dare using those filthy garlic bombs" he hissed. Ezio threw his upper body back and kicked you on the ground. You tried to get up as you saw how Ezio and in the distance Cristina where closing in on you. You heard some yelling and running in the streets near the San Marco's Plaza, more guards where closing in, but you doubted that they would be in time. Ezio stepped closer, you tried to grab your pistol, but as soon as you had it, Ezio kicked it away from your hand. You looked up, to the vampire high above you, Ezio smiled and showed you his canines "I am going to enjoy this" he whispered. 

But just before you thought your last seccond had past, you heard Sextus shout "Master Ezio, look!" to the vampire. Ezio looked back at Sextus and saw that he pointed to the sky in the distance, the dark night sky turned light blue in the distance...the sun was rising.  
Ezio and Cristina gave eachother worried looks, realizing that if they would not go back to the darkness now, they would die in the sunlight. "We will finish this later, witch hunter" Ezio said and stepped back to Cristina and Sextus, who was recovered. Ezio swinged his cloack over his front body and with that a thick, black smoke appeared, covering the three of them. You didn't waste time, you grabbed your pistol and fired in the smoke as fast as you could. But as soon as it was cleared, Ezio wasn't there. You just saw two bats fly off, within secconds they where out of range, also Sextus was no where to be found.  
You collapsed, you felt your mind getting dizzy and your arm started to hurt, now that the adrinaline was leaving your body you started to notice the pain of the wound, and the bloodloss. Your vision became black, you could still see how some guards and doctors closed in on you and the rest. One doctor was kneeling in front of you, you only saw his raven like mask before your vison disappeared completley. "We have to stop the bleeding, take him/her inside..." where the last words you heard before you lost conscious.


	9. New strategies

Your eyes shot open and you where breathing heavy as you looked around you. " Where... where am I ? " you asked. You noticed that you laid on something hard, probbably a table. Around you stood two people, a doctor and councillor Battaglia, you sighed from relief as you recognized his face. " You are in the Doge's palace signore/signora" the doctor said, you looked around the room, you saw some guards laying on tables that where lucky enough to survive. Also Emilia and Allessandra laid on tables and where treated for broken bones, Isabella stood next to them, worried. You looked at your own wounded arm, it was still hurting, but it didn't bleed anymore and was wrapped up in bandages. " You didn't break anything signore/signora" the doctor said " but you lost a lot of blood, I advice you to take it easy for a little while". 

Slowly, you lifted yourself up, you turned your body to place your feet on the ground and stood up. "Thank you for the treatment Signore" you said as you placed yourself off from the table. "But I can't take it easy, I allmost had him, I have to hunt Ezio again. " you said as you tried to walk, but councillor Battaglia stopped you.  
"Guards have allready been send out to track down Ezio and his Ghouls" he said "You should really take a rest now" the councillor said.  
On that moment the doors of the chamber opened, and Doge Domenico entered the room, followed by councillor Giordano. The Doge tried to keep a stern face, but his eyes betrayed that he was quite shocked to see so many wounded in his palace. "What happened?" councillor Giordano asked, as he too was shocked to see this.  
"Ezio attacked the palace last night, signore" Councillor Battaglia said. "We where lucky that the Witch hunter agreed to help us guard the palace, or things would have ended a lot worse." the councillor said, trying to give you some credit, but the Doges eyes narrowed.  
"But can you explain why Ezio attacked the palace last night?" Isabella asked out of nowhere to the Doge "Why would Ezio put so much effort in this attack? " she asked firmly again.

"Well, first of all, this is not how you talk to your Doge, rude little girl" the Doge said firm "Seccond, err...Ezio attacked the palace because...he was looking for me." The Doge said. "Really" councillor Battaglia said on a dry and non believing tone, you rolled your eyes.  
"Yes" the doge said "Ezio knew that if he would kill me, the city would turn into chaos, and..."  
"OH STOP IT!" you shouted to the Doge "enough with your cheap talk, I know that the Apple of Eden is hidden here!" you said as you stood up.  
On that moment, complete silence filled the room. Councillor Battaglia and Isabella looked worried to you, some of the guards looked questioning to eachother, councillor Giordanos face turned red. The Doge looked shocked at you, his face turned white as a corpse, after a seccond his face changed to enraged red "You... you evesdropped" he hissed to you.  
"And you lied to me" you said steadfast "you said there would be nothing here that had Ezio's intrest, well, the apple most definitley HAS his intrest!" you said, the Doge tried to find words, the guards looked questioning at the Doge. You seized your chance to face the Doge with the facts. "You where lucky the guards and I could stop the attack in time, or else Sextus would have delivered the apple to his master!" you said  
"Oh...you heard that part as well!?" the Doge yelled, trying to change the subject "I think you would do better as a spy than as witch hunter!" he said.  
But you where not impressed by the Doges insults, you kept to the point. "I don't care about your oppinion" you said "I am doing my job, and the first thing I am going to do is to make sure the apple leaves Venice!" 

The Doge made a small chuckle "you can't ask this of me!" he said, but you crossed your arms "I dont ask it signore, I demand it!" you said firm.  
The Doge hissed and began to froth "That is it...I will relieve you from your function as witch hunter!" he shouted, but it made you chuckle "Only the Vatican is allowed to do that" you said confident.  
"Then I...I fire you...I no longer need your service" The Doge said "Fine" you replied just as cold "I dont need a job to catch a vampire!"  
Councillor Battaglia stepped forward "Besides, if you do get fired ( your name ), then I will take you back into service" the councillor said.  
The Doge turned his fury to the councillor "How dare you to..." he hissed, but the councillor interupted him. "No, it is you who is to blame!" he said firm "how dare you to abuse your position as Doge in such a manner!? You have brought so many lives in danger for this object that even you do not understand!" the councillor said, you looked thankfully at the coundillor. The Doge kept quiet and dropped his head in shame, everybody turned on him now, even the guards looked mad at him, only councillor Giordano still seemed to be on his side.  
"It is agreed then, I stay here to do my job!" you said to the Doge and councillor Giordano "first order of buisness, the apple is going back to Cyprus!" you said.  
"but..." the Doge tried to speak.  
"TODAY!" you shouted, finishing this discussion. The Doge turned around and walked away, furious. Councillor Giordano stayed a seccond longer, but deceided quick enough to follow the Doge. You walked to the table and placed yourself on it while catching your breath, all this still required a lot of energy from you. "It was a good move from you to stand up against the Doge like this" Councillor Battaglia said "But it has given us more enemies. " he said worried.  
"I know signore, but this is not the time for half measures" you said "Ezio came way to close in stealing the apple last night, we can't afford this to happen again...we have to defeat him, and fast." 

An hour after sunrise, catacombs underneath the Santi Giovanni e Paolo.

"You cowardly old fool!" Cristina shouted to Sextus as she throwed a chalice to the necromancer, Sextus dived just in time, and the chalice hit the wall. Sextus tried to stand up, but Cristina grabbed him and pushed him to the wall. "We could all have died, we could have been compromised!" she shouted. "For...forgive me, mastress" the feeble old man tried to speak as he looked frightened into the vampires eyes. "Give me one good reason why I should not tear you apart " Cristina hissed.  
" We still need him Cristina " Ezio's voice sounded behind her, Cristina looked how Ezio entered the chamber in the catacombs. " He failed, true, but killing him will not help us any further. " Ezio said. Cristina released Sextus, the old man collapsed on the ground and catched his breath. Cristina still looked unconvinced to Ezio "if we didn't get back here in time... " she tried to say, but Ezio interupted. " But we did get back didn't we, besides, loosing another servant is the last thing we need. " Ezio said. Cristina sighed " fine " she said, and with that Sextus sighed relieved. Cristina looked to Sextus " at least make yourself usefull" she demanded "regroup the Ghouls". Sextus bowed and left the room, leaving the two vampires alone. 

Ezio walked to a table that stood against the wall, there was another chalice and a bottle with supply blood on it. Ezio poured some blood into the chalice and gave it to Cristina, then he took the one that Cristina throwed at Sextus, poured some blood into it and began to drink. " So what now? " Cristina asked.  
"We have to be carefull, no doubt the Witch hunter is getting more determined, and tries to wipe us out as soon as possible." Ezio said as he sipped from the blood. "Rushing into things will bring us nowhere" Ezio hissed " we have to play a little sneaky " he said as he rubbed over his chin. Then, a evil smirk appeared on the young vampires face "send the bats out to spy on the witch hunter again" he said to Cristina " I've got a plan ".

You looked out of the window of your room in the Doges palace, it was getting dark allready. You where not comfortable, you wanted to go out and search for Ezio, but the doctor advised you to rest a little longer. The guards where searching the city and guarding the palace, under the supervision of councillor Battaglia. You knew that they would do a good job, but still you couldn't stand it to stay in your room, you knew that Ezio was out there, recovering, planning, you wanted to kill him, as soon as possible.  
'Boom boom' somebody knocked on the door of your room. "come in" you said. The door opened and councillor Battaglia came in, followed by the Captain of the guards named Alfonso. "Any news?" You asked, the captain smiled and nodded. "We have a clue where Ezio could be hiding" he said, you turned to the Captain and listened attentivley "There are reports that some Ghouls have been spotted, sneaking around the Santi Giovannia e Paolo Basillica" Alfonso said. You frowned " A church?" You thought "Vampires can't stand holy places, so why would he..." But then it dawned on you "Of course, the catacombs!" You said as you smacked your hand on your head "that we didn't think of that before".  
"Alfonso, how much is known about the catacombs underneath the Santi Giovanni?" You asked. The Captain scratched his head " Very little signore/signora" he said "no one has ever been down there, it is very hard to enter it, also people believe it is haunted." The Captain said, you chuckled " perfect hideout for a vampire" you said. 

You placed yourself on the chair and was thinking for a while "What is your plan ( your name )? " the councillor asked. You wrapped your hands over your face and gathered your thoughts. "It must not happen again that Ezio goes on the offensive, last time he almost succeded" you said "I want to attack Ezio in his own hideout." You said.  
The councillor and the captain looked shocked to eachother. "We can't do that!" The councillor said "going into the vampires lair without any knowledge or preperations is suïcide!".  
" I know, but it is a risk I am willing to take" you said steadfast "We must not allow Ezio to raid the city anymore, we have stopped him last night, now we must strike hard before he can recover his strenght." You said. The captain and the councillor gave eachother a concerned look, but then they nodded in agreement. "Captain, gather your strongest, bravest and most skilled men, if I am going into the catacombs I want to do it well prepared". You said "tell them to meet me in the city barracks, then I will explain them the plan."  
The captain doubted for a seccond, but bowed in agreement and left the room. As soon as he closed the door, you heard a flapping sound outside the window. You looked out of the window and saw a swarm of bats fly away. You feared the worst, at this moment you didn't trust any night creatures anymore. 

An hour or two later you where in the barracks of the city. Captain Alfonso did as you asked and gathered 30 of his best men. You came into the barracks hall, the room was long and lightend up by many candles and torches. A long table stood in the middle of the room where the guards where sitting at, drinking and chatting a bit, the captain was on the other end of the table. As soon as they saw you enter they all stood up to greet you. "Please sit down signore" you said to the guards, as you walked to the table. You looked around the room and let your view rest on every guard. These men where no simple city guards, they had seen many battles and protected Venezias reputation with body and soul. They had faced many enemies, from French armies and Milanese troops, to Croatian rebels and Adriatic pirates. In bravery and determanation they where unmatched by other troops. You kept quiet and thought for a little while what to say, the guards where patient, they waited until you found your words.  
"First, I want to thank you for your bravery and your support" you began "I am sure you have heard of the Vampire that is terrorising the city, Ezio Auditore da Firenze " you said, some guards nodded, some of them looked shocked and some mumbled to eachother. "The reason I called you here, is that we know where Ezio is hiding, in the catacombs beneath the Santi Giovanni" you continued "I plan to attack and kill him in his lair, and for that I will need your help" Some guards mumbled to eachother again and some looked shocked and not convinced of the plan.  
" I know some of you might be scared! " you said loud to draw the attention back to you " Some of you might think this is madness, to be honest so do I " you said with a almost shaking voice. "But if we allow Ezio to recover, if he can summon his minions again, if he will launch more attackes on the city... Then there will be no Venice anymore, not as we know it. " you said. 

The guards kept quiet and let the thought sink in, they still seemed uncertain, but understanding of the situation. "I do not force you to go with me, I understand if you want to stay with your family or friends or lovers." You said as you looked around the group. " If there is anyone who does not want to go, then please, say it now, now is your change to back out. ". You waited a few seconds, the guards remained quiet and motionless, some of them looked at eachother. But nobody raised his hand or objected, you smiled, happy with the loyalty and determanation of these men. "Captain, make your men ready" you said to Alfonso " We will meet at the Santi Giovanni in an hour, then we will go into the tombs".


	10. Into the tombs

It was an hour passed midnight, all the people of Venice where safe in their garlic smelling homes again. Except for the guards there where no other people on the streets or in social gathering places, except, the Santi Giovanni e Paolo was filled with people tonight. But these people did not come to confess their sins or listen to holy stories, they where here to hunt down a dark creature that lurked under the church.

You, Captain Alfonso, councillor Battaglia, Isabella and the 30 guards with their families and friends where all in the church. The guards where making last preperations and saying goodbye to their families. Everyone knew what the plan was, and everybody knew that some might not return. The guards wanted to take this moment to check their gear, armor and weapons one last time, and also talk to their families and friends ( maybe for the last time).  
One guard hugged his father who was allready half in tears. "Good luck, son" the father said, sobbing as he patted his son on his back "Please be carefull."  
"Priscilla, I need you to be strong! understand? " Another guard said to his crying wife as he gently carressed her face. The guard kissed his wife on her cheek "When I get back, we shall start our family" he whispered in her ear, and the two of them kissed.  
Another guard who was with his wife and his two children, kneeled in front of his 8 year old son. "Listen Silvio, when I am away, you will be the man of the house" the guard said as he looked his son in the eye "Please promise, that you will protect mom and Stella when anything happens to me." he said, the little boy nodded weakly and hugged his father thight, followed by the mother and his little sister Stella.

You where doing a last check of all your gear and weapons before you gave the order to leave. You had everything with you, your sword, a dagger, some throwing knives, your pistol with extra ammunition, silver bullets this time and a small wooden stake. Your pouches where filled with all sorts of bombs, garlic, smoke, fire, light and salt. You tied your boots up, made sure your pouches where secured on your clothes, you placed a rosary around your neck and put on some special iron wristbands. "Please let us help you" Isabella said to you, but you shaked your head "No, this time I forbid it" you said steadfast "Not that I don't appreciate it, but this is way to dangerous for people with no to little experience in fighting." you said to Isabella, she nodded in understandment, you turned your attention to the councillor "There is one thing you could do in my absense though." you said " Keep an eye on the Doge, I don't trust him one bit, and I want him to bring the apple back to Cyprus." you said, the councillor nodded "I will see to it" he said "At the moment, the Doge is in his room, and councillor Giordano is in his house." the councillor said.  
The Captain signed that he and his men where ready to leave. You gave coucnillor Battaglia a firm handshake and Isabella a hug before you left with the Captain and the 30 men, after they to said their final goodbyes. You opened a door in the back of the San Giovanni Basillica, there was a spiral staircase that leaded to the enterance of the catacombs.

As soon as you and the group came at the end of the staircase, you entered a huge, round chamber. In the middle of the chamber was a hole of 6 meters wide. This was the enterance of the catacombs. You walked a little closer and looked inside the deep dark tunnel. Now you knew why no one wanted to discover the tombs, there was no way down. no stair, no ladder, and the walls where way to steep and slippery. From the looks of this place you would think this was a pretty normal catacomb, but you knew Ezio was hiding here. During your career you went in to various vampire lairs, you recognized them like no other, you knew how they looked like, how the air smelled, how the walls sounded, even how the atmosphere felt. "This is it" you said to the captain as the rest of the group came down "this is the enterance to Ezio's hideout."  
Captain Alfonso looked down the tunnel, also some more guards closed in to check this out. Alfonso picked up a peeble and threw it down the tunnel, while it fel he counted the time that passed by. "tick" it sounded deep down the tunnel after a few secconds. "60 to 70 meters deep" Alfonso said.  
"Did you bring all the materials I asked?" you asked to the Captain. Alfonso nodded and waved to a soldier who carried a large bag. The guard laid down the bag and opened it, you grabbed 2 thick ropes out of it, each 100 meters long. A couple of torches and some candles that came from the church altars. "Where are these for?" Alfonso asked as he looked at the candles "I will explain all that when we are down" you said as you and an other guard tied the ropes to the pillars at the wall. "But the candles must come with us, understand?" you asked, the captain nodded, he knew you would have more knowledge of the dark powers then he did.

When the ropes where tied securly on the pillars, the other ends where thrown into the tunnel. When you heard the rope hit the ground, you and another guard walked to the rope, you carried a torch with you. "We will go first" you said to the Captain as you grabbed one of the ropes, the guard next to you grabbed the other one. "When we are safely down, I will give a sign" you said, and with that you placed your feet on the edge of the tunnel while holding the rope thight. You walked down the slipery, steep wall, little bit by little bit. You looked to the guard next to you, he was going with the same speed and caution. When you where at 15 meters you felt a headache comming up, also you started to feel noxious. It was just as you expected, these where the syntomps a mortal had to endure as he entered a vampires lair, the headache was getting worse and worse with every meter you went down. You looked at the guard, you saw he was trying to stay focussed, but the sharp pain bothered him. As soon as you where down on the ground, the headache became almost unbearable, you could resist it pretty much, but the guard grabbed his head and hissed softly. You lightened up the torch with some flint stones, as soon as it burned you waved it in the air, signing the rest to come down.

When the last man was down, you opened the bag that one of the guards had carried with him. You got out the altar candles and placed them on some holders you had taken with you. All men that where down grabbed their heads and moaned from the extreme headache. "Why did we take those candles with us?" the Captain asked "They will never give enough light" he said.  
You chuckled as you placed the torch near the candle "these are not for light"you said, and you lightened up the candle. As soon as it was lit, everyone stopped hissing and released their heads, the headache seemed to be over. "Better?" you asked "Much better" one guard said. You gave the candle holder to one of the guards, and you grabbed another candle that you lit. "This whole place is infested with dark magic, that was the headache you felt" you explained as you gave another lit candle to another guard "Altar candles help, they have absorbed so much prayers that the can weaken the dark magic somewhat" you said as you lightened up the third and last candle and gave it to one more guard. "Make sure these candles keep burning at all time" you said.

When all the candles and torches where lit, you and the other men looked around the room. Despite that all the torches where lit, this place was still very dark, you could only see a few feet in front of you. The room where you and your men where in was moist and cold, it smelled like decaying plants and rotten meat, sometimes you heard a soft roar or scream somewhere in the distance, that echoed through the entire place. You looked around the room and spotted a hallway in front of you. There was just enough light to see the pillars of the door, the rest was still cloacked in darkness. "We have to go this way" you whispered, you looked back to the guards, they waited until you gave the command, all of them had drawn their weapons allready, they where armed with swords, crossbows and Venetian style warhammers. "I am certain Ezio is aware of our presence, so he will try to attack us." you said "From now on, no matter what you see or hear, stay together!" you demanded. The guards and the captain nodded. You raised your torch to make some more light and had your sword ready "Follow me" you whispered, as you slowly moved over the dirty, soaked ground. The guards followed you, some with their weapons ready, others with torches and the altar candles.

The group moved through the tombs, slow and steady while they checked every corner and every hallway they encounterd. The catacombs where darker then a starless night, sometimes, something moved in front or in the corners. Sometimes it was a abnormally large spider crawling upon the wall, sometimes a Ghoul was seen, but got scared and run away. Every now and then a scream, yell or roar was heard somewhere and echoed trough the building, which made it hard to know where it came from. The sounds varied from Ghoulish roars to what sounded like a woman yelling. The guards where shaking and breathing heavy with every step, the dark, cold, haunted tombs took their toll even on the bravest of men. Every now and then you looked back to see if everyone was still there, and then you looked forward to the dark alley again.  
After a while you came into a large room, but still it was as dark as the hallway you have been through. You looked around, you couldn't tell how big the room was. On the other side you saw another door leading towards another hallway. "Inspect this room first for any other doors, we will gather back here in 5 minutes." you said to the guards as they entered the room.  
The guards splitted up in groups from five to six men, you went to check on the door with the captain and four other guards. every group had one torch with them. One group inspected the right side of the room for any doors, the guards took every step with extreme caution. The ground was wet and muddy, and even some bones where scattered across it. One guard watched at the ground all the time, suspicious of any bones that may started moving. Suddenly, he heard something on his left side, a soft laugh, a child was laughing. The guard looked shocked to his left, but nothing was there. And still he heard the childrens soft, happy laughter, like they where playing a game. Then he saw something move in the distance, the guard stopped to check it out, it was a humanoid figure. The guard walked to the left, away from his group to find out what it was.  
The guard walked futher and further away from his group, with his warhammer ready. The laughter became louder and louder, when the sound was almost near him the guard started hyperventilating. The guard stopped and gasped as he saw two small children in front of him. They where like 5 or 6 years old, a boy and a girl. Their skin was pale and their eyes where black, but they seemed to be okay, they where playing with a doll. "What are you doing here?" the guard said shocked "It is dangerous down here!"

"Eduardo?" One guard in the group said as he heard his comrades voice somewhere in the distance, the group of guards looked around them but they didn't see their fellow guardsman anywhere.  
"How did you get down here anyway?" Eduardo asked to the children, but they didn't answer him. They just looked at him with a emotionless expression on their face. Then, the children turned around and walked away. "Wait, where are you going!?" Eduardo said.  
"Wait, where are you going!?" The guards heard Eduardo's voice in the distance. "What is he doing!?" one of the guards shouted as they all started running to the left side to search for Eduardo.  
"Wait, Please wait!" Eduardo yelled as he tried to get up to the children who got further and further away. At some point, the children where gone, they had dissapeared. Eduardo looked around him, he was completley wandered off from his group. In the distance he saw the torches comming closer to him. He wanted to turn back to them, but before he could take one step, an ice cold wave raged through his body, and Eduardo gasped for air as he looked down and saw how a transparant blade had penetrated his body.

You heard a gasp for air that echoed through the room, you looked to your left and you saw a group of guards rushing towards the sound. "Something is going on" you said to the captain as you ran towards the sound  
The guards stopped when they saw Eduardo motionlessly standing, a white fog was surounding him. "Eduardo, what is going on?" One guard asked, but Eduardo did not reply. When the guards looked a little better they saw that the white fog, wasn't fog at all. It looked like a woman, completly white and tranparant, also she seemed to hover somewhat. When the guards looked at Eduardo again, they saw the woman had penetrated Eduardo with a sword. "Noooo!" one of the guards screamed, and ran towards the womand with his own sword drawn. The woman noticed the guard, she pulled her sword out of Eduardo's lifeless body and hovered towards the charging guard. The other guards aimed crossbows at the woman and fired at her, but the arrows flew right through her.  
"Close your eyes!" you shouted to the guards as you ran towards the woman. The womand turned her attention at you, she saw you threw something at her. A second later a soft explosion was to be heard and a bright, white light filled the room. after a second or two, the guards opened their eyes and saw how the woman screamed from pain and hovered away from the group. The guards and you walked to Eduardo who laid dead on the ground, "what was...?" one of the guards wanted to ask, but you allready had your answer ready. "Ghosts" you said "old ghosts that dwell these tombs, usually they are quite shy, but they don't like it when someone disturbs their rest." you said as you closed your pouch, "These bombs filled with flashpowder help, ghosts can't stand bright light" you said.  
A minute later you and the group of guards where gathered at the door to the next hallway, there was no other passage or door to be found in the room. Eduardo was left behind, despite the others disagreed with that, but there was nothing that could be done for him now, he was dead. Before you and the group walked further you looked back to the group. "Everybody stick together" you said "Maybe you shall see ghosts, maybe you shall see hallucinations created by the dark magic. Whatever happens, don't follow them!" you demanded.

The group and you walked further to another dark hallway, the guards where a little more confident now that they knew what the could encounter down here. Sometimes one guard looked to his side and saw some more ghosts pass by, none of them was violent fortunatly. Some guards also claimed to see hallucinations like children, animals or objects, but everybody did as you said and sticked together. Sometimes a few ghouls came out of nowhere and attacked the soldiers. But the well armed and trained men could handle the creatures without much trouble. After a while you came to the end of the hallway, and you stood in another huge chamber.  
You stopped and looked around the room as the guards closed in on you one by one. This room seemed even larger as the last one, even the ceiling was not to be seen. Some remains of old stone altars and pillars where scattered across the room. The only difference was that this room was a little lighter then the last one. The group and you walked further, slowly, on the other side of the room was another door, just like the other. You wanted to walk to the door, but you stopped as you heard something in the distance. The group stopped as well, they also seemed to hear the sound, it was the flapping of wings, it came closer fast, very fast. Before you or the group could do anything, a whole swarm of bats flew towards you. You and the guards braced and prepared for the hundreds of sharp nails and fangs that where comming towards you. But nothing happend, the bats did not attack, they all flew passed. When the last bat had passed you relaxed and looked around confused "They where scared" you said "something chased them away". You looked to the other side of the room to where the bats came from. Suddenly, you froze, your eyes widened and your breath stocked. The other guards looked to the spot that you looked at and froze as well. Nothing was to be heard, everyone looked frightened with widened eyes. The only sound that was to be heard was Captain Alfonso whispering "What in heavens name is that?"

An hour earlier, Villa Giordano.

Luciano Giordano sat on a chair in his villa, thinking back to the things that happend in the past days. The apple that came into their posession, the vampire that attacked the palace, and the witch hunter that hunted Ezio down. The witch hunter left an hour ago to the Santi Giovanni e Paolo Basillica, he/she claimed to have found the enterance to Ezio's lair. Before he/she left, the witch hunter ordered the guards to bring councillor Giordano home, he/she did not want to have the Doge and him near eachother in his/her absense. The councillor stood up and looked out of his window, it was midnight and Venice was covered in darkness. He knew that the Doge would not give up so easily. It was of great importance that Rodrigo Borgia would have the apple of Eden, and the Doge and he would not give up until their grandmaster had it. The councillor walked away from the window and his eyes fel on a painting on the wall, it was of his wife, Maria. A tear appeared in the councillors eye, as he walked to the painting and inspected it, it was truely beautiful. "Maria" the councillor whispered as he wiped the tears out of his eyes. The day he heard his wife was attacked by Ezio and no where to be found broke his heart. "I allways warned you Maria, stay on the right path, watch out for seduction." the councillor thought as a new tear appeared "I would do anything to have you near me again." he thought.

The councillor was brought out of his trance by someone knocking on the front door. The councillor laid the painting on the table and walked to the front door to open it. When the councillor opened the door he saw a young boy standing in front of him. The councillor knew him, the boy was named Cristiano, the messengerboy of the Doge. Cristiano gave the councillor a folded letter, the councillor took the letter and gave Cristiano a few florins in return. When Cristiano walked away, the councillor closed the door and opened the letter, it was from the Doge.

_Luciano,_

_We need to be fast and carefull with this. That witch hunter may 'demand' me to bring the apple back to Cyprus, but that is not going to happen. Now that he/she is dwelling in those filthy catacombs, we can set our plan into motion. Meet me at the Palace and I shall explain the rest._

_Doge Domenico._

_Ps. Burn this message when you finished reading it._

The Councillor finished reading, he walked back to the living room and threw the message into the fireplace. The councillor took his coat and prepared to leave his villa, but then he noticed something. The painting of his wife that he laid on the table a minute ago, it had changed. Coucnillor Giordano took the painting and looked at it with wide eyes. He saw Maria, laying on the bench, naked and with her eyes closed. The councillor closed his eyes and shaked his head "This had to be an illusion" he thought, but as soon as he opened his eyes again, he still saw his wife naked, only this time something else was to be seen. Two small holes where in Maria's neck, a little stream of blood slided out of it. Councillor Giordano looked full of disbelief to the picture, he shaked his head again, but when nothing changed he started hyperventilating. He was so focused on the painting he did not notice that the candles that lightened up the room went out. 

Councillor Giordanos breath stocked, and he looked around the suddenly dark room. Someone else was here, watching him, threatning him, he felt someones presence. His eyes fel on the bench in front of him and he gasped loudly. A hooded man sat on the bench watching at him, the man smiled cruelly and just wide enough so his two canines where visible.  
"You" the councillor said full of disgust as Ezio stood up and kept eye contact with him. "What are you doing here?!" the councillor said to the vampire, Ezio smiled "I like to go back to the places where I got my thropies" he whispered. The councillor shaked from anger, he wanted to jump on Ezio and beat him up, but he could not move, Ezio's magic kept him in place. Ezio walked closer to the councillor and placed himself behind him. Ezio laid his hands on the councillors shoulders, councillor Giordano was shaking and sweating heavy, he was powerless. "Ah, maria" Ezio said as he looked at the painting "I must say councillor you truely had a...delicious wife." Ezio said softly to the councillor "And when you where away, I got to enjoy all of her" Ezio smirked and got closer to the councillors ear "Including her private parts" he whispered with a cruel smile.  
"No" Councillor Giordano said with a shaking voice "She didn't...she wouldn't..." Ezio walked away from the councillor "oh, she has" he said "in fact, the place where you are standing, thats where I stood when I made this masterpiece" he said as he pointed at the painting. "YOUR LYING!" The councillor screamed as tears filled his eyes, but it made Ezio smile "see for yourself" he said and he pointed to the fireplace. 

Councillor Giordano looked at the fireplace and his eyes widened, there he saw her, he saw Maria, laying naked on the ground, with a naked Ezio on top of her. The councillor watched full of horror how Ezio made love to Maria, and how his wife moaned from pleasure and screamed for more. The Image dissapeared and the councillor could suddenly move again, but he did not attack Ezio, he fel on his knees and cried out loud. Ezio looked at the crying councillor for a minute "poor man" he said "I actually am sorry for you councillor" he whispered. "SHUT UP!" the councillor screamed, but Ezio remained calm "My body may be dead, but I can feel your sorrow" he whispered as he slowly closed in on the councillor. Ezio went on his knees and placed his mouth to the sobbing councillors ear "But I can be merciful" he whispered "What would you say if I said I can bring your wife back?" 

"You...you can't, she is dead" the councillor said sobbing, but Ezio smiled "I have the power to bring back the dead" he whispered as he stood up. "Tell me councillor, do you want to see her again?" he asked "Aren't you tired of being the Doge's pusharound? To be in his shadow all the time?" Ezio asked, the councillor still kept quiet. "To be honest, why would you care about this apple you don't know anything about?" Ezio asked "What is such a non-saying object compared to having your loving wife back?"  
The councillor still sobbed a bit but brought his head up, and looked Ezio in the eye. "And believe me, she loved you" Ezio said "All she could think of was you, even when she made love to me, she wanted it to be you" Ezio whispered, councillor Giordanno looked at him with hopefull eyes, but then he shaked his head. "I cant give you the apple" he said "You will use it for dark magic". Ezio chuckled however "I want to use to apple to bring back my family, I want them back, just as you want Maria back, what is wrong with that?" Ezio said and went on his knees again "Tell me how I can get the apple, so I can bring back my family, then I will make sure you will be together with your wife...tonight" Ezio whispered. 

It was quiet for a long time, the councillor and the vampire just kept eyecontact. Eventually, the councillor spoke "The Doge has a key, around his neck" he whispered "That is the key to the vaults where the apple is, thats all I know" the councillor said. Ezio smiled "That's all I need to know" he said as he and the councillor stood up. "Now my part of the deal..." Ezio said and waved his hand over the painting on the table. The painting changed again, the councillor looked how the paint dissapeared and the cloth turned black. Hopefully, he looked at the cloth, while Ezio stepped back, smirking. Suddenly a sound came out of the cloth, and a hand appeared. The hand grabbed the edge of the cloth, and another hand grabbed the cloth. Arms appeared and soon a head was seen, councillor Giordano smiled from happiness, he recognized his wife. But then, his smile dissapeared as he saw her face, it was pale and decaying, her eyes were black and her teeth rotting. "Ma...Maria" the councillor said, but the only sound Maria made where soft roars. Maria lifted herself out of the painting and fel on the ground. The councillor stepped back and watched in horror how his wife crawled closer to him, he tried to run away but Maria grabbed his foot, which made the councillor fall down. Maria roared and placed her teeth inside the councillors leg, councillor Giordano screamed from pain as Maria tore off his flesh. Ezio smiled to the councillor "I told you I would bring back your wife" he said "I didn't say in which form".  
Ezio watched a little longer to the councillor screaming and Maria eating his leg, then Ezio drew his sword, placed it above the councillors head, and stabbed it through his skull. 

Ezio lifted up his sword, it was drained with blood. Ezio took a little bottle out of his pocket and let the blood drip from his sword into the bottle. When the bottle was full, Ezio looked at the dead councillor and Maria still eating his leg. "Hello madonna" Ezio smiled "I think you have eaten enough" he said and lifted up his hand, Maria fel dead on the ground. Ezio walked to the councillors body, and pulled a few hairs out of his head. Ezio did the hairs in the bottle with blood, closed his eyes and said something in a unknown language, the blood in the bottle turned darker. When Ezio was done speaking, he drunk the blood. 

The Doge was walking through his chambers, worried "What was taking him so long" he thougt as he looked out of the window. Maybe Cristiano didn't deliver the message, maybe something happened. The Doge lost his patience, he walked out of his room, and to the enterance of his palace. The guards opened the door and the Doge wanted to walk out, but then he saw councillor Giordano walking onto the courtyard. "Luciano, thank god" the Doge said as the councillor came closer, smiling friendly "Please come in" the Doge said to the councillor. "With pleasure" the councillor smiled.  
The Doge opened the door of the meeting room, councillor Giordano walked in followed by some guards. "What was this plan you wanted to talk about, signore?" The councillor asked as he placed himself on a chair in the room. The Doge placed himself on a other chair. "I told you in the letter I wasn't going to bring the apple back to Cyprus." the Doge said "I have send a letter to Rodrigo Borgia, he will arrive here in a few hours, then we shall give him the apple." he said. Councillor Giordano smiled "Rodrigo Borgia is comming? excellent!" he said "Signore, is the apple still hidden good enough?" The councillor asked, the Doge nodded, "It is still in the vaults, it is guarded by my best men" he said. "And the key? just as safe?" the councillor asked, the Doge smiled and nodded again "Safe as ever" he said as he pulled on a necklace around his neck and showed the councillor a small silver key. Councillor Giordano smiled "Shall I guard it for you signore?" he asked "Nobody expects me to have it" the councillor said, but the Doge shaked his head "No, I insist that I keep it with me" the Doge said, coucnillor Giordano smiled "of course, I understand" he said friendly. 

The councillor and the Doge looked to eachother for a while without speaking, until the councillor said "You look tired signore" he said. "Do I?" The Doge asked as he touched his face "Yes, you should get some sleep" the councillor said "But...I have to meet Signore Borgia for..." the Doge said, but the councillor laid his hand on the Doge's shoulder "I shall meet with Rodrigo and make sure he gets the apple, then you can get some rest". The Doge smiled "Thank you, old friend" he said as he exhaled relieved "Tommorow will be a great day" he said, the councillor smiled "indeed it will" he whispered.  
When the meeting was over, councillor Giordano walked out of the palace and onto the San Marco's Plaza, when he walked off from the Plaza and crossed the bridge, his face changed, his body became longer and masculine, his dark hair turned brown and a scar appeared on his lips. "Sleep tight signore" Ezio smiled "I shall see you tonight".

( Again quite a chapter, hope you still enjoy the story ;) )


	11. Closing in on the goal

"What in heavens name is that?" Captain Alfonso whispered, as you and the entire group stood frozen, looking at a wall in one of the catacombs chambers. There was something on it, a beast. It was gargantuan, maybe 12 times the size of an average human. It had the resemblence and shape of both a dragon and a bat, but without his layer of skin. It was a huge skeleton that holded together a massive amount of necrotic flesh, veins, muscles, nervs and organs. Its two massive wings could easily be 6 meters wide, each. On the end where razor sharp claws. It had a long tail that existed solely from bones and mucles. Its head was placed a top of a long neck, and looked like a bat, only larger and horribly mutated, it had long ears an a sharp snout, little red eyes and a mouth full of long, sharp teeth, each of maybe 30 centimeters in size. The creature crawled with its massive claws over the wall while its nose and eyes where searching the area. When the creature saw the group, he kept looking at them while growing, it even sounded like a bat only much louder and sharper, and it was not even its loudest roar yet.

"And I thought that Vargheist was big" one guard said joking, but nobody laughed, well, nobody dared to laugh. "Make no sudden movements" you said to the group as you stood like a statue on the ground, never getting your eyes off the creature. "What is this thing?" the Captain asked to you as silent as possible, but you shaked your head, you didn't know "I have never faced this kind of creature before, I dont know anything about it" you whispered. The creature still looked at the group and growled. From your eyecorners you looked quickly at the left and back at the beast. "The door is to small for this thing to get through, also the walls look rather thick and stable, so he can't break them" you whispered to your group while everyone kept their eyes on the creature "On my signal, we run like hell to the door, got it?" you said "yes" the group whispered.  
The beast its roars became louder and more threatning "One..." you whispered  
The beast crawled closer to the group, and showed his teeth with another loud roar "Two..." you said, the men behind you where shaking with fear.  
The creature braced itself and prepared to attack the group "THREE!" you shouted and all of you ran as fast as you could to the door. But the huge creature had quick reflexes, it jumped off from the wall and with a smooth dive its huge body landed in front of the door, blocking off the road. 

Everyone stopped running, some guards fel down from the shock, you quickly recovered and grabbed your pistol. The beast turned his body around to face the group and jumped forward, before you got to take your shot. The creature jumped in the middle of the group, bringing a lot out of balance again and killing 2 guards under its claws. "Spread out!" the Captain screamed. One guard laid on the ground and tried to crawl up but he was too slow, the creature grabbed him with its teeth. The Guard screamed as the razor sharp teeth penetrated his armor and pierced deep in his flesh. You stood on the left side of the beast, you aimed your pistol at his head and shot. The bullet penetrated the beast his cheek, it made a small flesh wound, but still the beast dropped the guard and turned its head towards you. You reloaded again, but the beast was closing in fast on you, left and right the guards stabbed their sword into the beast its legs to slow it down, but it had no effect. You saw the beasts head close in quickly, it raised up its head and neck and prepared to bite. When you saw the beast move its mouth towards you, you dove away just in time, the creature its teeth landed in one of the remains of a stone pillar. You ran away from the beast his view and felt in your pouches, you had to use some more brute force for this. The beast turned his head towards you again, at that moment you had grabbed one of your fire bombs. You threw it to the creature and it exploded on its back. Large streams of burning naphtha spreaded over the creatures body, but it did not seem to do much severe damage. The vital organs of this monster where well protected by thick meat and strong bones. 

You ran away again and searched for cover as the beast walked towards you and jumped forward again. You dived which made it miss you, but now the beast focussed its attention on the guards on the other side of the room. You searched for cover as you looked how the guards on the other side where behind cover as well and fired their crossbows. On your right, the captain and two other guards emerged. "How can we beat this thing?" the captain asked "fire won't do the trick".  
You observed the creature for a while, how it attacked the guards, there where some arrows in itd head, but that had even less effect then bullets. The creature tried to catch some guards with his fangs, some guards dove away just in time. Then you noticed that when the creature walked, it dragged its upper body pretty close to the ground, maybe 5 feet space in between. "Maybe fire does the trick from inside" you said to the Captain "If we can get close to it, we can cut open its belly, and then its vital organs will be vulnurable" you said. The Captain looked to the beast, back to you and nodded. You, the Captain and the two other guards jumped out of hiding and ran towards the creature. Its tail swinged through the air and was about to smack the four of you. The Captain and you dived just in time, the two guards where less fortunate, and with a huge force they where thrown 5 meters away and landed on the hard floor, which broke their bones. The two of you got closer, the beast sensed that you where comming and wanted to turn its head towards you. One guard on the other side noticed it and tried to distract the beast "Hey, ugly!" he shouted and threw a rock to the beast its face. The creature turned his attention back at the guard, his head raged forward, and grabbed the guard between his teeth. The guard screamed from pain, he was just fast enough to grab his knife with his free hand, and with a well aimed thrust, he stabbed it into the creatures eye. The creature chrushed the guard in half before it dropped him and made a loud scream from pain. 

The creature was distracted for a while, and because it was now blind on one eye, it did not see you closing in on its belly. You and the Captain grabbed one of the creatures big ribs and holded on tight. The creature felt someone was holding his bones and tried to shake you off. The Captain and you grabbed the bones, and holded onto this bloody swing as best as you could. The other guards tried to distract the beast by shooting arrows or stabbing him with swords. When the beast calmed down again, the Captain grabbed his blade with one hand and stabbed it with great force in the flesh of the beast. An Icey roar filled the room as the Captain sawed the creatures his belly open, large streams of blood flooded out of the wound, the Captain and you narrowed your eyes because the blood was falling onto your bodies and into your faces. When the wound was deep enough the Captain pulled his knife away, you grabbed one of your firebombs ,activated it, and shoved it inside the wound of the beast. When the bomb was inside the creatures body, you and Alfonso jumped on the ground and ran away. A second later a soft explosion was to be heard, and large streams of fire escaped from inside the creatures body, leaving nothing but burning organs. The creature made one more scream as the naphtha burned his body from within, then it kept quiet, froze, and fell dead on the ground. 

Everyone came out of their hiding place to check if the beast was truely dead. Some had broken arms or legs, others had deep flesh wounds. The Captain and you where covered in blood, but despite a few cuts and bruises you where okay. "That went well" Alfonso joked, you smiled weakly "I am sorry for your men" you said as you looked around the room and saw some dead bodies. "Don't blame yourself" Alfonso said "Thats the risk of being a soldier."  
The guards where wrapping up the wounds and broken bones, some checked for survivors. Two guards came near to the guard who had stabbed a knife in the creatures eye, he was bitten in half, a large puddle of blood covered the ground. "Poor Pedro" one of them said to the other as they looked at the torn apart body "Well, he allways prefered to die fighting" the other guard said to his comrade who nodded in agreement.  
When the wounds where bound and everyone gathered you and the group prepared to go further again. 11 men lost their lives because of the beast, now it was you, Captain Alfonso and 18 guards who remained. You looked at the men, they where tired, wounded, in pain, covered in dirt and blood, but they still where just as determined as you to kill the vampire. You gave them a little smile and the guards returned one before you all went on. 

The next hallways you went through didn't contain very big challenges, some Ghouls and agressive bats, but that was all. You and the group made quite some progress. After a while you came in to another large room, but the big difference with the other ones was that this one was decorated. You looked around, spotting some furniture, a couch, some chairs, all in blood-red colour. A dining table was standing in the room with some lit candles on skulls, the only silverware where some chalices that stood on the table. Paintings of Ezio and Cristina where scattered around the room. Because vampires didn't have a reflection, they where allways obsessed with what they looked like, and demanded paintings of themselves to be made. A red carpet, just as red as the furniture leaded to another door. You recognized a vampires hideous taste of decorating like no other. "We are close" you said to the group who stood around you. You and the group followed the carpet to the door while keeping your guard up.  
"Miaauwh" it sounded on your right, you froze on the spot and gasped "It's her" you whispered, within half of a second you aimed your pistol to the right and fired. You saw a black cat appear who evaded the bullet and transformed into Cristina. "Good evening darlings" Cristina said as she looked at the group in front of her "care to join me for dinner?" she asked. The guards aimed their crossbows at the vampire lady and fired, but Cristina evaded the arrows just as quickly and transformed herself into smoke. You grabbed a garlic bomb, but the smoke came near you and pushed you on the ground. You fel on the ground and the bomb rolled away from you, the smoke came into the group and transformed into Cristina again. The guards tried to attack her, but the nimble vampire evaded and countered the attacks with her daggers. You crawled to the bomb that laid a few meter away from you, but before you could grab it, you saw Sextus on the other side of the room. Sextus raised up his staff, and with that the ground broke open and boney arms grabbed you. 

All around you and the group, skeletons raised from the ground, armed with knives and swords. The guards tried to fight off the moving bones, but this attack came as a crushing surprise. You pulled your arms up and ripped the arms of the skeletons bodies, still their bodies digged themselves out of the earth. You aimed your pistol at Sextus and fired, Sextus noticed it in time and raised his staff, a skeleton flew into the line of sight and absorbed the bullet. You grabbed your sword and started to fight off the skeletons that where closing in on you.  
The group had just as much trouble as you had, they had to fight off both the vampire and a horde of skeletons. The guards tried as best they could, but they where heavy outnumbered, some screamed from pain as rusty blades and knives penetrated their bodies. Alfonso was in a fight with Cristina, he swinged his sword to her, but Cristina evaded and countered, Alfonso saw it comming and stopped the counter with his sword. Now Alfonso countered, he stabbed his sword to Cristinas throat, the vampire dived away just in time, the blade did cut of a few of her hairs though. Cristina made a quick movement and went on the side of Alfonso, before the Captain could react, Cristina stabbed her dagger in his throat, killing him.  
"Captain!" you shouted as you saw Alfonso bleeding and falling dead on the ground. You tried to run towards him, you punched a skeleton who tried to stop you on his skull with your fist, and slided another one in half with your sword, but there where just to many. You felt how the blunt handle of a sword hit the back of your head. You fell down on the ground, you tried to come up, but the skeletons holded you down. "Don't kill him/her yet." Cristina said. You felt your consciousness slipping away as you saw Cristina closing in, you saw all the other guards laying dead on the ground, you where the only one left. Before you compeletly lost consciousness you heard Cristina say "Ezio will be happy with this." 

Doge Domenico was in his room, making himself ready to go to bed. He pulled on his nightdress and blew out the candles, he drunk a cup of water before he went to his large canopy bed. The Doge lifted up the blankets of his bed, crawled on the matress and relaxed as the warm blankets fel over his body. The Doge exhaled softly and looked to the moon outside of the window, as he felt his eyes fall away. Suddenly, his eyes where wide open, he heard something outside the window, a scratching sound. The Doge went out of bed and tried to steady his breath, again the scratching was heard, it came from underneath the windowsill outside. The Doge grabbed a candleholder and slowly walked towards the window. The closer the Doge came to the window, the more nervous he got. He tried not to gasp every time he heard the sound. Slowly, and carefully he laid his hand on the glass, he steadiet his breathing one more time and pushed open the window. Immidiatley he looked out of the window, to the windwowsill and with the candleholder ready. But nothing was to be seen, the Doge relaxed a bit and looked around. Suddenly the scratching sounded again, the Doge gasped as a swarm of bats came out from the windowsill and flew away into the night. "Stupid bats" the Doge hissed as he closed the window an turned around. When the Doge looked at his bed, he dropped the candleholder and almost gained a heartattack, a hooded man in black robes laid on his bed. 

"Buona sera, signore" Ezio said on a tone like he was greeting his lover. He took his hood off and kept eye contact with the shocked Doge, he laid on his side on the bed, with his arm supporting his head. "How...how did you get in here?" The Doge asked "I never invited you!". Ezio smirked "Actually you did" he said softly "You just didn't know it was me". The Doge looked confused for a moment, but then he realized what was happend. "Wh...what have you done with Luciano, abomination?!" he hissed. Ezio smirked as he moved off from the bed "Lets say, I did him a favour, because he did me one" he said "Now I know everything I need to know to get the apple from you" Ezio smiled and raised up his hand, with that, the Doge lost control of his body, he went on his knees and then could't move anymore. Ezio slowly walked towards the Doge. "I know where the key of the vault is" Ezio said as he slided his fingers over the Doge's neck "Around that delicious neck of yours" he whispered.  
"HEEELP!" The Doge screamed "SOMEONE, HELP ME!" he screamed as tears filled his eyes, Ezio shaked his head. "Before I came into the room I made sure we would not be disturbed" he whispered as he walked back to the bed. "You where right you know, tommorow is going to be a great day" Ezio smirked "Well, for me that is...but I wanted to cellebrate it with you" Ezio grabbed something that stood near the bed, he showed the Doge a chalice and a bottle filled with blood. "I saved this one for a special moment" he said as he poured the blood in the chalice "19 years old, Genoese, still a virgin, she was never touched by a man" Ezio smirked as he smelled on the chalice and sipped from the blood "hmmm, so pure, so rich" he whispered. The Doge started breathing heavy as Ezio came closer "Try it" he said as he placed the Chalice under the Doge's lips. The Doge tried to resist but Ezio's magic forced him to open his mouth, Ezio poured some in the Doge's mouth, closed it again and the Doge swallowed. 

"No...Noo" The Doge said, sobbing softly, as this experience made him feel sick. Ezio placed the chalice on the ground, walked behind the Doge and placed himself on his knees behind him. Ezio rubbed his hands over the Doge's arms, the Doge did the best he could to resist, but it was to no use. Ezio brought his face down and kissed the Doge's neck a few times. "So delicious" he whispered "So firm, yet so soft" he said as he placed another kiss on the Doge's neck and started licking it. The Doge did not resist anymore, he just sobbed as he shaked with fear. Ezio slided his hand under the nightdress of the Doge and grabbed the necklace that was still around his neck. He showed it to the Doge and let it dangling in front of his tear filled eyes for a while. "The apple is as good as mine" he whispered as he placed a last kiss on the Doge's neck. Ezio placed his canines inside the thick neck of the Doge and drunk every drip of blood. The Doge made one last gasp, as he felt the canines in his neck, and the life fade away from his body. 

The 5 guards that guarded the vaults had little time to react when suddenly the lights went out, and Ezio's blade raged with lightning speed through their throats. The guards fel down on the ground and Ezio walked to the vaults with the little silver key in his hand. He opened the gate, and the first thing he saw was the wooden chest. Ezio's smirk grew wider and wider as he placed his hands on the chest. He opened it, and a very bright golden light filled the room, Ezio narrowed his eyes a bit and saw the round, glowing, supernatural object, the apple of Eden. Ezio took the apple carefully in his hand and lifted it up to inspect it better. Ezio's laughter filled the room "it is mine" he said while he looked tryomphantly at the apple "IT IS MINE!!"


	12. Resurrection

You groaned softly as you felt your conscious comming back, your vision improved again and you started to hear sounds. You looked around when your sight was returned good enough. You stood in a dark chamber that was lightened up by a few candles, a red couch stood in front of you, around the room where a couple of chairs, closets and tables spread. There where some documents, maps, skulls and bottles on the tables, on one table laid your gear and your weapons. You also saw a couple of pictures of Ezio and Cristina, you was in Ezio's lair. You tried to move, but you noticed your hands and feet where tied with ropes against the pillars of a canopy bed. You tried to break free but you where tied securely "Damnit" you hissed as you still tried to get your arms free, but then you felt someones presence, you looked to the couch in front of you and saw Ezio sitting on it.

"Hello, ( your name )" Ezio said calm with a smile on his face. "Ezio" you whispered "You wanted to have a rematch didn't you? Untie me and we shall have one!" you said, it made Ezio smirk "Believe me, I would love to" he said as he stood up and walked towards you "Maybe that is the reason you are still living" he said as he stood a couple of inch away from you, your eyes met his. "But there is still much to do" Ezio said as he laid his hands on your shoulders, and turned you a little so you had sight on a table. On the table you saw a round object standing on a holder, a little golden light was comming of from it, it was the apple "No!" you gasped as you looked at it with widened eyes.  
"Yes" Ezio smirked as he looked at you again "The apple is mine".  
"How did you get in the palace? The Doge did not invite you, not even he is that stupid" You said, Ezio smirked "Thats a funny, and juicy story actually" he said "I will tell you in a moment." Ezio then kept quiet and slided his fingers over your chin and back over your neck, he brought his face closer to your neck and placed a gentle kiss on it. "I can't wait...to put my fangs in this beautiful neck" he whisered and looked into your eyes again. "I have to admit something to you though, I have never faced a challenger like you" he said softly "Every time you where so determined to catch me, every plan you had was well organised and worked out, fighting you every time was.... a rush" Ezio hissed and placed his lips on yours. Your eyes widened as the vampire kissed you, strangely enough you kissed him back. After a few seconds Ezio pulled back and looked you in your confused eyes. "You where something new to me" he hissed "Thats the reason I did not kill you yet, when Venice is mine, I want to savour every moment with you, before I drink every drop of your delicious blood." Ezio said. 

After a while Cristina and Sextus came in the room, followed by some Ghouls who carried 3 coffins. "You allready know Cristina and Sextus" Ezio said as he pointed to the vampire and the necromancer "But I did not introduce my family yet" he said. The Ghouls placed the coffins on the ground and opened them. You looked to the coffins and saw 3 skeletons, 2 large ones and one smaller one. The Ghouls walked away from the coffins and Ezio slowly walked around them "Finally, I have waited for this moment for years" he hissed as he walked to the table where the apple was on. You felt your breath increase as Ezio slided his fingers over the apple an slowly lifted it up. When the apple rested in Ezio's hand, a golden light came from it, you narrowed your eyes because of the brightness. Ezio closed his eyes, inhaled and exhaled softly as he was tapping into the apples power. Ezio inhaled and exhaled again, and with this the apple changed from colour, the light dissapeared and the apple became dark blue and eventually black. Ezio inhaled and Exhaled one more time, this time a thick black smoke came from the apple and slided to the ground. You watched with wide eyes as the smoke crawled to the coffins, the Ghouls looked confused to the smoke, also Cristina and Sextus stared amazed. The smoke crawled onto the coffins and into the skeletons. For a while nothing happened, the smoke just hoverd around the skeletons. But then the bones started shuffeling and moving, the skeletons stood up from their coffins. But something else happened, inside the bones, something seemed to grow, organs, hearts, lungs, veins and muscles. After a while skin appeared on the bodies, hair grew back, their eye sockets got eyes again, the clothes where repaired, there came even sound from their mouths. Within a minute, three people stepped out of the coffins, Ezio laughed out loud as tears from happiness filled his eyes. You watched full of amazement how the skeletons had transformed into fully complete humans, you had never seen a level of necromancy like this before. 

Ezio, you, Cristina and Sextus looked at the three new people in the room. On the right side was someone who looked like Ezio's little brother, he wore a yellow tunic with a white collar and a brown pants, he had a round face and little round nose, his eyes where brown big, and happy looking, his hair was long and also brown. In the middle stood the person who was likeley to be Ezio's older brother, apperantly Ezio was not the only handsome man in his family. He was long and masculine, he wore a black with red tunic that reached to his upper legs. A large open collar was on the tunic, he wore a black pants with brown boots. His face was a little less round then that of the younger brother, a few facial hairs walked across his chin, his eyes where small and brown, but warm looking, his hair was half long and dark brown. The last man had to be Ezio's father he was a little shorter then the older brother, he wore a red tunic with red robes over them that reached to his knees. A white collar and necktie was to be seen, he wore a black pants and black boots. His face was long with a small mouth and a sharp nose, his hair was long and brown and combed to the sides. His eyes where also brown. The father looked around the room, looked at you, at Cristina and Sextus, and then, his eyes fel on Ezio. "Ezio" the father said, as a smile grew on his face and tears covered his eyes. "Father" Ezio said half crying and walked towards his father. Both men hugged eachother tight while both being in tears, meanwhile Ezio's brothers noticed that they where with their brother again. Ezio released his father and looked to his happy face one more time before he turned to his brothers "Federico, finnaly" Ezio said smiling as he hugged his brother just as tight "Hey there little brother" Federico said as he returned the hug "Don't go on now, you are making me cry" Federico joked as tears filled his eyes. Ezio released Federico, gave him a pat on his shoulder and turned to his younger brother "Hey Petruccio!" Ezio said full of delight as he took Petruccio in his hands and lifted him up "I missed you all so much" Ezio said as he drew Petruccio in for a hug "I missed you too" Petruccio said as he hugged his strong brother. For some reason, you could not help but smile, Ezio was your enemy, and he was probbably going to kill you, but still you where happy for him, that he was finnaly reunited with his family. Even Cristina and Sextus shed a tear. Ezio walked towards you, and signed his family to follow "(your name), I want you to meet my father Giovanni" Ezio said as he introduced his father "My older brother Federico and my little brother Petruccio"  
"Pleasure" you said with a dry smile as you watched at the resurrected family. "Why are you tied up?" Federico asked to you "Err...long story" you said to him.  
Giovanni watched closely at his son, he saw something was different, Giovanni opened Ezio's lips with his fingers and saw his vampire canines "What have you done with yourself Ezio?" Giovanni asked with a little horror in his voice "Even longer story" Ezio answered to his father. Ezio walked away from you and dragged his family with him "I shall explain everything, I Promise" he said "Come with me, we have a lot of catching up to do" Ezio said as he and his family left the room, also Cristina and Sextus left, leaving you alone. 

After a few hours, Ezio had told his family the entire story about everything that happened in the passed years. He expected his family to be disgusted and mad, but they where not, quite the opposite in fact. This was because of the apple, Sextus had explained, the magic that the apple contained would assure that the resurrected agreed to the owners every will, even when they did not agree or were not willing, they had no choice. Ezio had to take some time to get used to this idea, but he was not complaining, his family was back, and now he could set his other plans into motion. 

The apple of Eden stood on a pillar in the middle of a huge tomb inside the catacomb. Ezio, Cristina and Sextus stood around the apple, they all had placed one hand on the apple. The three of them had their eyes closed and spoke simultaneously words of an unknown language. The same smoke that was used to resurrect Ezio's family came from the apple again, crawled down on the ground and filled the entire tomb as far as the eye could see. The three continued their dark spells with extreme concentration as tendrils of dark energy came from the apple and spreaded all around as well. After a few minutes the entire ground started shaking and lots of holes appeared, within the blink of an eye thousands of skeletons woke up from their rest and rose up from the earth. All warriors of hundreds, maybe thousands of years ago, some wore a simple cloth and had a knife, others had a full armour and swords, spears, bows and halberds, some even wore ancient Roman armoury. Not only skeletons appeared, thousands of bats filled the room, the flapping of wings was deafening, spiders and rats came out of their holes and gathered around. Hundreds of Ghouls came from the hallways of the catacombs, some of them huge in size, like 4 times as big as a full grown man, and 6 times as broad, they where armed with clubs, sharp bones and everything they had found in the tombs. Even the ghosts that dwelled the tombs appeared, many of them where hooded and armed with swords and scythes, they hovered towards the room. 

"The time has come my minions!" Ezio shouted when everyone had gathered "OUR time has come, go now! go to the mortal world, take Venezia in the name of the night! MAKE VENICE OURS!!" Ezio shouted and a huge amount of roars, screams and yells filled the tombs.  
The tombs where emptying, every skeleton, every creature, every ghost answered Ezio's call. The huge halls of the tombs where filled with the undead army marching towards the city, thousands of skeletons marched, thousands of bats flew, hundreds of ghosts hovered. Ezio walked in front of the army, leading the attack, with the apple in his hand that feeded and empowered the undead. Behind him where Giovanni, Federico and Petruccio who marched with the army, Giovanni and Federico carried swords and Petruccio had a dagger with him. Ezio smirked as the apple drew more and more minions into his army, soon the city would be overwhelmed by his hordes, soon Venice would be his. After that, Italy and the entire world would follow. Ezio laughed out loud from victory as he and his hordes continued on.


	13. The battle for Venice

Dawn had come to Venice and the sun was rising, everyone came out of their houses again, and began their daily routines. They knew they would be safe at day, at least that was what everybody thought. Nobody knew what happened underneath the earth.

Emilia and Allessandra where healed from Ezio's attack on the palace, their broken arms where bound and rested in a cloth sling. They stayed with Isabella in councillor Battaglias house, they where sitting in the living room, waiting for any news, while Isabella told them the things that happened in the past hours. "He/She went to the catacombs!?" Allessandra asked to Isabella as she mentioned what your plan was. Isabella nodded, "But, thats madness!" Emilia continued "Even if he/she has an entire escort with him/her! Who says that Ezio didn't want him/her to do this?!" she asked. "It is a insane idea, I know " Isabella said "But he/she did want to attack Ezio before he could launch other assaults to us. Besides he/she has been in vampire lairs before, and he/she has 30 men at his/her back!" Isabella said. Emilia and Allessandra still looked doubting at eachother. "Our task right now is to make sure the apple returns to Cyprus" she said "Councillor Battaglia is keeping an eye on the Doge, and..." But before Isabella could finish her sentence, the door of the house opened, and she heared footsteps. The 3 girls looked shocked to the door of the living room from the sudden noise, a guard stood in the dooropening. "Signori, you have to get to the palace, quickly!" he said. 

The door of the Doge's room flew open and Isabella, Emilia and Allessandra came in. They saw a group of guards standing around something in the room. Councillor Battaglia came forward to the three woman with a face as white as a corpse "Signore, what happened?" Emilia asked as she took the councillors hand.  
"The Doge is dead" the councillor said, with a shaking voice, the three girls gasped "Ezio did this, somehow he came into the palace and killed him." The three girls went closer to see what the guards where standing around at. Isabella gasped as she saw the dead body of the Doge, being examined by a doctor. "We have to warn signore Giordano about this" Allessandra said to the councillor, but councillor Battaglia shaked his head. "Councillor Giordano has been found dead in his house this morning." he said "Surprisingly, his wife was also found." The councillor said and looked at the shocked three girls, he took a deep breath "But things are much worse..." he said "Ezio has taken the apple." the councillor said.  
"What!?" a unknown male voice said. Councillor Battaglia and the three girls looked at the door of the chambers where the voice was comming from, they saw a old, chubby man. He wore black tunic that reached to his feet with a red part in the middle, he was hooded, so only half his face was seen. The man had a round face and a small white beard.  
"Rodrigo Borgia" Councillor Battaglia said, not on a very welcomming tone.  
"How could you have let this happen?" Rodrigo asked to the councillor as he came closer "The Doge assured me that the apple would be safe here, I didn't travel all the way to Venice to hear the apple is stolen." Rodrigo said, councillor Battaglia kept quiet for a seccond and thought "So the Doge wasn't going to bring the apple back after all" he thought "And Borgia probbably thinks I am into his little scheme as well, but he is wrong.". The councillor grabbed Rodrigos arm and dragged him towards the guards "What are you doing!?" Rodrigo yelled "How dare you to..." but he stopped talking as soon as he saw the dead body of the Doge. Rodrigo gulped and looked at the councillor "If there is anyone to blame its you!" The councillor said loud "If you didn't demand the apple to be brought to Venice, the Doge would still be alive!" The councillor shouted. The three girls looked shocked at the enraged councillor, also the guards and the doctor stopped their research to follow the conversation. 

"Don't you use such a tone against me!" Rodrigo said with a threatning voice "What I am planning with the apple is non of your concern." He said as he pointed his finger to the councillor "Who do you think you are?, talking to me like that!" Rodrigo hissed "I am destined to be Pope, leader of the entire Catholic world! You are just a measly politician, what gives you the right to blame me?!" Rodrigo shouted. Councillor Battaglia became red with fury and tears filled his eyes "YOU ARE TO BLAME BECAUSE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WHERE KILLED FOR THIS STUPID APPLE!" he shouted "MY OWN DAUGHTER, WAS KILLED, BECAUSE OF IT!"  
"Why is this apple so important to you anyway?" Allessandra asked to Rodrigo "Why was it so important to bring it here, it brought nothing but missery!" she said. Rodrigo looked at Allessandra with a face that said 'Why the hell are you talking?!'.  
"Foolish, naive girl, This apple contains power beyond anyones understanding, it contains ultimate knowledge, knowledge you will never understand!" Rodrigo hissed to Allessandra, "But thats no reason for so many people to get killed?" Isabella said "right councillor?"  
But the councillor did not answer, the three girls and Rodrigo looked at him, councillor Battaglia stood in front of the window, watching outside with wide eyes, something was happening. The three girls and Rodrigo walked towards the window and they gasped in disbelief as they saw what happened. 

The blue mediteranean sky was darkening, large, thick black clouds gathered in the sky. But the clouds where not created by nature, large tendrils of dark energy came up from the ground and shot in the sky, that created the clouds. The dark clouds spreaded fast and as far as the eye could see, like black paint that spreaded across a cloth. The clouds reached the sun, and slowly devoured it, with every inch of sun that disapeared it got seriously darker in Venice. The people on the streets looked at the dark spectacle that happened. None of them said a word, Venice was quiet. When the last bit of sun was hidden behind the clouds, Venice was covered in a complete darkness, not even the shape of the sun was to be seen, night had come to Venice, an eternal night.

"This is Ezio's work" the councillor said with shaking voice as he looked at the solid black sky, not a single stream of light was to be seen. "Now nothing is going to stop him from comming into the city" the councillor said as he slowly walked away from the window and thought "We have to protect the city and the people" the councillor said and turned to one of the guards. "Ready all the men, bring the citizens into safetey, an attack is imminent" the councillor said, the guard bowed and ran out of the room. "Who put you in charge?!" Rodrigo asked mad to the councillor "I am a public official of the city!" the councillor said "And the council is a temperary leading force in the Doge's absence" The councillor shouted to Rodrigo, but it made him chuckle "You don't have anything to say about this city" he said "It has been deceided by the Doge and me that Venice will be a vassal of the Templars, Venice belongs to the order! VENICE BELONGS, TO ME!" Rodrigo shouted, on that moment everybody in the room gasped and shocked because of a loud thunder shock to be heard, lightning had struck the city. The councillor and Rodrigo looked outside the window and saw that the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute was on fire. A second later a guard ran into the room, frightened and out of breath "Signore...Venice is...under attack!" the guard said heavy breathing "An army...an army of dead!...the dead walk!". The councillor and Rodrigo looked at eachother, "I think it is obvious what we need to do" the councillor said to Rodrigo "If we keep fighting amongst ourselves, Venice will belong to Ezio." 

The city was in chaos, every where people where running, seeking for a place to hide, or going somewhere safe. The army came out of nowhere, when the sun had disappeared completley, an army of skeletons, ghouls and bats marched through the streets. The undead where relentless, they stopped for nothing and killed everyone they encountered, men, women and children. The citizens where running in panic to the places the guards told them to go, some however would stay in their house and pray, but that was a forlorn hope, god wasn't here anymore. "Everybody to the docks! we have to evacuate!" one guard screamed to the panicking mobs, as other guards closed in quickly to block the streets to stop the undead army that was close behind.  
"Look at the size of those things!" one woman screamed as she pointed to a giant ghoul who walked amongst the undead ranks.  
"Cristabella, don't stay here! grab the kids and run to the ships!" A man shouted to his wife.  
"The lord is my shepherd, THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD!" another woman screamed in panick.  
The guards prepeared themselves to fight, 10 men with halberds blocked the streets as 10 men stood with crossbows behind them. A massive horde of skeletons and ghouls saw them and charged forward. "Fire!" the Sergeant of the group said to the crossbowmen, the crossbows fired, but did not do much damage. They killed one or two ghouls, but it did not do damage to the organless skeletons. The hallbardiers braced for impact as hundreds of swords, spears, bones and clubs charged into them. The hallberdiers fought like madmen against the undead hordes. Their hallberds crushed some skeletons and killed some ghouls, the crossbows behind them reloaded and prepared to fire. But then a high squeeking and flapping sound was to be heard in the sky, the bats where comming. The guards looked up in the sky, but the creatures where hard to see because the sky was solid black, and then it was to late. Hundreds of sharp wings, fangs and claws cut into the faces and bodies of the guards, distracting them, which made it easy for the skeletons and ghouls to kill them. 

One family in the city did not want to leave their home, they believed it was much safer inside. They had barricaded the doors and spreaded garlic and crucifixes through the house. The mother of the family was praying while her children listened to her, some watched out of the window and holded in their breath while they saw the skeletons move through the street. "Holy Maria, mother of mercy, blessed be your name, and blessed is Jesus your son" the mother prayed with her eyes closed, the children closed their eyes as well to pray with their mother, this made them not aware though that a ghost hovered into their house through the walls. "Forgive us our sins, as we forgive others theirs. Bless the righteous with strenght and bravery." the mother continued, still not aware that the ghost, armed with a scythe, hovered closer behind her. "Praised be to the lord who is in heaven, in the name of the father, the son and the holy ghost, amen!" the mother said. On that moment the children opened their eyes and saw how a ghost slammed the transparant scythe into their mother. 

A little boy stood on the street, crying because he was sepperated from his partents by the disorder. Scared he looked around if he saw people nearby or where to go, but there was nobody to be seen. Until, the boy saw movement in the streets on his right, he looked and saw a ghoul and skeleton closing in on him fast. The boy screamed with fear and ran away, but the undead where faster and gained in on him fast. Then, a arrow was shot from a crossbow and hit the ghoul in his head. A guard jumped forward, with his warhammer ready. He evaded the spear of the skeleton and smashed his skull to smithereens. As soon as the skeleton was not moving anymore, the guard exhaled relieved, but he saw more undead comming. He ran towards the boy and lifted him into his arms "Come on, bambino, to the docks!" he said as he carried the child away. 

On the docks everybody was gathered, guards lightened the docks with torches ( though it made barley a difference ) while they tried to keep order and evacuate everybody safeley. There where not very much ships, much of them where out in the colonies, and there where thousands of people to save. The guards tried their best to keep everyone calm and explain the plan, but it was hard through the shouting, screaming and crying. However, nobody noticed the four people standing on one of the rooftops, one of them held a round object.  
Ezio, Giovanni, Federico and Petruccio stood on the rooftops, watching the chaos on the dock as their army closed in on the mortals. Ezio raised up the apple in his hand, and the sky started thundering. When Ezio held the apple high in the sky, lightning shot down, and struck the ships in the docks. Everybody broke out into complete panic as the ships, their last chance of escape, burned away. "To the palace!" The Sergeant of the guard shouted "Everybody to the palace, we can defend that place! to the palace!" he shouted as the guards leaded the panicked mobs to the Doge's palace. "Kill them all! Leave non alive!" Ezio's voice echoed through the sky, as his minions followed the command and went to the palace as well. 

"Bring everybody to the palace and ready the defences" councillor Battaglia said to the Captains of the guards. He was in the Doge's palace, leading the defence of Venice, with the three girls and a still mad, but calmed down, Rodrigo Borgia. "Get the cannons and the gunners on the walls." he ordered to another Captain, "Lupio, gather as much crucifixes, garlic and silver as you can find" he said to one of the Lieutenants. When the officers left the councillor turned to the three girls. "Girls, I want you to man the hospital wing" he said "gather some doctors and help everyone who needs medical aid." he said, the three girls nodded and left. "It doesn't matter what you do from now on councillor" Rodrigo spoke softly as the two of them where alone "Either you get slaughtered by Ezio's army, or Venice will be claimed by the Templars, and I will order your execution." Rodrigo said calm, the councillor looked away without saying a word, he realized these where his only two options on the moment, but he was not intimmidated by this. "If you want to have Venice so bad..." the councillor said as he drew his sword and stepped to Rodrigo, the councillor pointed his sword to the shocked man, but then handed it to Rodrigo "at least fight for it" he said and left the room, not paying any more attention to the silent and shocked Rodrigo Borgia. 

The citizens where running into the courtyard of the palace, escorted by the guards. Many of them where immediatley conscripted, and most of them accepted it with pleasure. "Doctors and medical students! follow me to the hospital wing!" one guard shouted to the people as some of them walked towards him. "Engineers and smiths this way!" another one shouted.  
Guards where running on the rooftops of the palace, they placed cannons on the rooftops and aimed them at the San Marco's Plaza, that was where the largest bulk of Ezio's horde was comming from. The Doge's royal guard placed themselves on the walls and in the courtyard as well. These where the best of the best, protected with the highest quality plate armour, armed with razorsharp rapiers and the latest handguns. Also some Greek flamethrowers, that Venice got from trade with the Ottomans and Byzantines, where added to the defences.  
As soon as the last citizens where into the palace the gates where closed and locked. Time grew short, in the distance you could see the first skeletons and ghouls of Ezio's army enter the San Marco's plaza. "Barricade the gates!" Councillor Battaglia shouted on the courtyard "Ransack the palace, take everything we can use to defend with!"  
The soldiers and the citizens ran into the palace and took everything they could find. Chairs, closets and couches where thrown on the courtyard, other guards and citizens used them to barricade the gate. Curtains where ripped of from the windows to be used as bandages, the railings where used to make spears with, the Doge's bed was being chopped to pieces for wooden weapons and extra barricades. Things like royalty and status didn't matter anymore, now everyone had one common goal, to survive. 

Ezio walked on the San Marco's Plaza followed by his army, with his sword drawn and the apple in his hand. Ezio looked at the Doge's Palace, things where happening there, he saw soldiers and cannons being placed on the walls, and heard people shouting an running. "They have put up quite a defence " Ezio mumbled to himself "Good, I like a challenge" he said and ordered his army to move forward.  
Everything was set, everyone in the palace and the courtyard had a weapon or at least something to defend themselves with. The Royal guard stood in a lines of two on the wall with their guns loaded, the cannons where loaded and ready to fire. The army of the dead marched over the Plaza on their way to the Palace. Skeletons, ghouls, bats, rats, spiders, even some citizens, brainwashed by the apple marched towards the Palace gates. "There must be thousands of them" one guard whispered as he watched the army comming closer. 

"Steady, steady!" One Captain said to the cannoneers and the guards, he waited for the right moment to fire, to make sure he did as much damage as possible. When the first skeletons passed the San Marco's Campanile the Captian Shouted "FIRE!".  
Deafening explosions where to be heard, the cannons fired into the undead ranks and did quite some damage, shooting some ghouls and skeletons to smithereens. The first line of the Doge's Royal guards aimed and fired into the horde, making some good hits as well. The first line squatted and reloaded as the seccond line aimed and fired, the cannons where reloaded as well.  
The skeletons where shot down left and right, but the emotionless pawns of the vampire kept marching on. Some skeletons carried bows and arrows with them. They aimed at the guards on the wall and shot their arrows. Some of the arrows missed, and because of the bad quality they did not do much damage, two or three guards where shot down and fel from the wall. "FIRE!" The captain shouted again, with another loud explosion the cannons and the gunners fired into Ezio's army, shattering some skeletons and ghouls. But it made no big difference, Ezio's army contained all the dead from hundreds of years time, for every skeleton that fel down others came onto the plaza. "Fire the ribaults!" The Captain shouted, the soldiers on the far left side of the walls rolled forth a organ gun with 36 barrels. The cannoneers ignited the ribaults wick, and in a couple of seconds a hailstorm of bullets where fired into the backside of Ezio's army, shattering a lot of undead. Still, the horde came very close to the gate, the guards in the middle of the wall placed the Greek firethrower in place, it was a large barrel with a pumping mechanism, it was adjusted to a large storage tank, on the end of the barrel was the opening in the shape of a dragon head. The guards activated the pump of the flamethrower, and with that a sea of fire filled the sky and fel on the army, up to 16 meters far.  
Another cannon shot was heard and the cannonball flew towards Ezio. But the vampire saw it just in time, he raised up the apple, and some kind of forceshield formed around Ezio, turning the cannonball into dust.  
Ezio stood next to Federico and looked to the fire that lightened up the Plaza, and the cannonballs slamming into his army. "Their artillery is getting quite annoying" he said to Federico, Federico smiled "Shall we try to get onto the walls again, little brother?" he asked. Ezio sighed "like old days" he chuckled. Ezio made a loud roar as his body grew massive in size, his face and arms transformed and wings grew onto his arms, Ezio changed into a Vargheist. 

Federico crawled onto the back of the huge beast that was his little brother, Ezio flew away with Federico on his back and a swarm of bats following him. Ezio flew towards the palace, skillfully evading the bullets and arrows that came his way, some bats where shot down behind him, but the swarm was overwhelming. At the same time, 3 of the giant ghouls made their way towards the gate, followed by the army. They where armed with large axes and maces, Petruccio sat on the back of the middle ghoul.  
The guards on the far right of the wall saw the Vargheist to late and where ripped apart by its huge claws. Federico jumped off from the Vargheists back, drew his sword and stabbed it into one of the Royal guardsmen. After a few secconds hundreds of bats fel on the guards and attacked them with their sharp little teeth and claws. The guards tried their best to fight against the swarm of bats, the Vargheist and Federico, but it was to much, the walls would soon fall.  
On the same moment, one of the giant ghouls aimed his mace and slammed it with full force on the gates. The guards and citizens inside tried to keep the barricade and the gates intact, some guards and citizens armed with crossbows tried to hit the bats above them. 

Some guards and citizens where on the balconies of the palace, they saw how much of the smaller ghouls climed up the walls with their long, filthy nails and how the skeleton archers fired on the guards on the wall. The guards on the balconies where armed with handguns and tried to take out the skeletons, while the citizens threw rocks, pans and pots on the ghouls that climbed on the wall. 

The people near the gate tried to hold the barricade the best they could, but the large mace slammed with brute force again, the gates would not hold long. Guards gathered around the gates with halbers, swords and crossbows, while some of them where pressing their bodies to the barricade, trying to buy some time. But then a crawling sound was to be heard, the guards looked down and saw hundreds of rats, little scorpions and thousands of spiders crawl through the little openings in the gate and the wall. The people near the gate screamed and tried to squash the creatures under their feet, but they where to many, the spiders and scorpions crawled onto the bodies, into the mouths, eyes and ears of the unfortunate guards while the rats started chewing on their flesh.  
'BOOM!' it sounded, and the gates broke open. The guards with the halberds braced as they saw the 3 giant ghouls comming in. The crossbowmen aimed and fired at the same time at the ghoul on the left. The many arrows killed him instantly, but the other two closed in and smashed the guards aside with their giant maces. More guards closed in to the giant creatures, trying to stop them, but behind them Ezio's army came into the courtyard and overwhelmed the palace. 

Councillor Battaglia overlooked the courtyard, 2 guards stood next to him and fired their guns on any undead they saw. The councillor realized that the courtyard was lost, he had to get everybody inside. "Captain, get everybody inside" the councillor said to the Captain next to him. " Pull back! Everybody into the palace! We must pull back! " the Captain shouted into the courtyard. The people and the guards who could flee ran into the palace, many of them carried wounded with them. Councillor Battaglia looked at the retreating people, to his surprise he saw Rodrigo Borgia still fighting. " At least he did as I told him" the councillor thought as he watched Rodrigo stab a ghoul. 

"Filty creature " Rodrigo hissed as he stabbed the ghoul in his chest with his sword. He looked to the staircase that leaded into the palace and saw everyone pulling back. Rodrigo was about to leave, but then he saw something moving on his left. He turned his head and gasped from disbelief. Giovanni Auditore stood in front of him, very, much alive. " You...I...I saw you die!" Rodrigo stuttered as he grabbed his sword with his shaking hand. Giovanni smiled " Know that Auditores don't die that easily" he said as he drew his own sword. Rodrigo hissed mad and charged Giovanni with his sword, Giovanni evaded just in time and countered. Rodrigo stopped Giovanni's sword with his own, and tried to make a counterattack as well. The two swords clashed a few times, until Rodrigo saw an opening into Giovanni's defence. Rodrigo stabbed his sword deep into Giovanni's chest, Giovanni gasped and hissed as Rodrigo moved the sword in his body. Rodrigo pulled back and looked smiling at the deep wound, but his smile faded when a thin black fog covered Giovanni's wound and closed it in a unnatural speed. Giovanni stood in front of Rodrigo, smirking, like nothing happened. " Thats...not...possible" Rodrigo shouted and prepared to attack again. But then he heard a loud warcry on his right, Rodrigo dived just in time and evaded Federico's sword. Rodrigo went wild and slided his sword multiple times in Federico's face, it was like a knife cutting through butter, but the black fog that appeared healed Federico's wounds just as fast. 

Rodrigo went into the defence and tried to stop Giovanni's and Federico's swords the best he could, but no matter where he stabbed them, their wounds healed in a matter of seconds. Meanwhile the huge army of skeletons closed in on the fight, Rodrigo had to get away, or else he would die for sure. But when he tried to run, Petruccio appeared and stabbed his dagger into Rodrigo's leg. Rodrigo screamed and fel down on the ground as the many skeletons and the three Auditores surrounded him. Rodrigo crawled up and saw how some of the skeletons stepped aside, they made way for someone. Rodrigo gasped as he saw Ezio himself comming in closer. Rodrigo tried to stand up but one of the skeletons pushed him down with a spear. Ezio kneeled in front of the panicking and crying Rodrigo, the vampire slided his fingers under Rodrigo's chin and lifted his face up. " Good to see you again Rodrigo " he hissed as he slided his fingers over Rodrigo's neck "You know... I have never tasted the blood of the future pope before " Ezio whispered into Rodrigo's ear before he made eyecontact with him again " I want you to do something for me " Ezio whispered " remember the day you hanged my family, remember that you thought I was just a weak little kid, standing in the way of your plans, remember that you thought I would not be a problem for you". Ezio hissed to the sobbing Rodrigo "Remember this as I drink your body dry " Ezio hissed and bited Rodrigo in his neck. A loud scream was the last thing that was to be heard of Rodrigo Borgia. 

The guards closed the palace doors, many people looked outside to see what was going on onto the courtyard. Councillor Battaglia looked out of the window as well, he gulped as he saw Ezio drink Rodrigo's blood, he may not have liked Rodrigo that much, but the councillor could not stand to see him die like this. He turned away and focused on the situation again, the survivers had just enough time to pull back, barricade the door and regroup into the palace, but now they had to prepare for Ezio's horde to come in. The councillor sighed as he looked at all the terrified and crying faces of the citizens and shocked guards. Many of them where wounded and dragged towards the hospital wing, mothers hugged their children thight, fathers and brothers searched for something to defend their families with, the guards tried to regroup, but the situation seemed hopeless. The councillor looked outside onto the dark courtyard " The witch hunter is still out there " he thought " he/she is our last chance, he/she is the only one who can stop Ezio".


	14. Escaping

Deep in the tombs you could hear the army march, it was like you suspected. No way that Ezio would use the apples awesome powers just for ressurecting his family.

You where still tied up to the canopy bed in Ezio's lair, the hallways echoed the sounds of Ezio's spells, and the marching of his army. It would not be long before Ezio reached Venice with his army, you had to escape, and fast. You tried to break your arms free from the ropes, but they where tied securely to the bed. You looked at the table where your gear was on, Ezio did not forget anything, he had disarmed you completley...unless...You looked at your arms and exhaled relieved when you saw Ezio did not take of your wristbands. These where no ordinary wristbands, you moved your fingers and hands around and tried to activate something. After a while you heard a soft click and a small blade shot out of the wristband, hidden blade tactics where sneaky, but not unfamiliar to you. You moved your arm up and down as best you could to cut through the ropes, it went slow, but it worked. After a while your right hand was free, you started cutting the ropes on your left hand and on your feet.  
After a few minutes you where freed, you walked to the table and took your gear and your weapons. You had to hurry up, Ezio had an advantage on you now, he could be in the city allready, no doubt he would exterminate every mortal in his path. You closed your bomb pockets, put your sword and daggers in their shades and put on your hat before you left Ezio's chambers. 

You followed a long red carpet that leaded you through Ezio's underground palace, it was way larger then you expected. You came through various rooms, hallways and even staircases. You where afraid that you where totally lost, but then you came into a room you regocnized, it was the first room of Ezio's home that you and your escorts encountered, the 19 bodies of the guards that lost their lives here, still laid on the ground. "Poor Alfonso" you said as you looked down to the motionless body of the Captain, you wanted to walk out of the room, but you stopped when you saw Sextus in the doorway.  
You and Sextus kept eye contact for a while, on the same time you slowly slided your hand to your pistol. "This is where your journey will end, witch hunter" Sextus said as he grabbed his staff. "You dont have to do this Sextus" you said, as your fingers slided over the pistol on your belt. "Ezio is just using you to gain power, you won't get anything in return." you said, but it made the necromancer smile lightly "Actually I will, I will get a world where I am not hunted down for my talents" he said while he looked you in the eye "I have seen your kind before. My father was a master in necromancy, and witch hunters burned him on the stake because of it!" Sextus said, you kept quiet and listened to his story. "I watched him burn at the age of 12, when I discovered I had the powers of necromancy as well, I wanted to flee, but my so called friends betrayed me!" Sextus said while he raised his staff, you braced yourself and took your pistol "Lets see how you like it when your friends turn on you!" Sextus screamed as he pointed his staff to the ground. 

You pointed your pistol at the necromancer, but then you felt a hand grab your leg. You looked down and gasped as Captain Alfonso was moving again, only he did not have his living beauty. The Captains face was dirty and bloody and started to rot allready, a soft growling sound came out of his mouth as he grabbed your leg and tried to pull himself up. You aimed your pistol to the Captains head and shot, the bullet penetrated his brain and the Captain fel dead on the ground. You looked in front of you and saw that the other 18 men also where standing up and came towards you. You had seen this kind of necromancy before, these living corpses where called 'zombies', during your career you had to fight them in Budapest. They where slow moving and had no fighting skill at all, but they where resilient and hard to kill. You reloaded your pistol again and shot on the one closest to you, the bullet hit his jaw and half his face was gone, but still he kept moving towards you. You drew your sword and chopped of his arm, and with a smooth spin, you beheaded him. You did not have much time to prepare as the large group was comming towards you. One stretched his arms out to grab you, you evaded them and punched the zombie in the face, it made him step back which gave you enough time to slice his head in two.  
Then you felt two hands grab you from behind, you quickly turned around and tackled the zombie that grabbed you. He fel down, you stood up and stabbed your sword in his brains. You looked up, heavy breathing "Still so much left" you thought as the others came closer towards you. You ran back a little to win some space "If only I had...wait a minute...I have!" you thought. You felt in your pockets where you kept the bombs, and grabbed a salt bomb out. The zombies came closer quickly, you didn't waste any time, you threw the bomb in the middle of the group, and it exploded. A thick, white smoke filled the room, you breathd some of it in by accident and almost had to vomit, it tasted salt, very salt, like you swallowed sea water. The zombies grawled and slowly came towards you, but after a second or two they stood still. They looked around them, confused, and not to long after they fel dead on the ground one by one.  
"What...What is...What have you done!?" Sextus screamed as he watched at you chuckeling "Thats the funny thing about zombies" you said "as soon as they taste salt, they remember their dead, and with that stop obeying their master, as a necromancer you should know." You said as you took large passes towards the necromancer. Sextus got frightened, he dropped his staff and tried to run away. But you had allready reloaded your pistol, you aimed and fired. The bullet penetrated the necromancers head, with a loud smack, Sextus fel on the ground, dead. 

You gave Sextus his motionless body one last look as you continued your journey to escape the tombs. You ran through the tombs and chambers where you went before, you did not meet much resistance though, most of the creatures that roamed the tombs had been called into Ezio's army. You came into the room where you met the ghost before, that ment that the enterance was not far anymore. You ran through the room and the hallways that you passed earlier, until you came into the round chamber of the catacombs, where you had come in. You looked up and about 60 meters above you, you saw the light of the torches burning. You quickly looked around the room and to your surprise you saw the rope that you used to climb down, still hanging as well. You smiled and walked to the rope, "miauwh" it suddenley sounded, you froze and looked behind you. You saw the, oh so familiar, black cat dissapear behind a pillar, a few secconds later, Cristina stepped forth from the other side of the pillar. 

"Hello darling" Cristina whispered to you, "Cristina" you said, greeting the vampire somewhat as you drew your weapons. "You know, actually I am glad you escaped" she said to you as she slowly stepped forward, you made a step back. The two of you walked circles around eachother for a while. "And why is that?" you asked, Cristina chuckled "Now I have a reason to kill you" she hissed. "Not today!" you said and in the blink of an eye you threw a throwing knife you had hidden under your wristband to Cristina. You had the element of surprise, but the vampire had amazing reflexes. Cristina evaded the throwing knife and shot towards you, you drew your sword and swinged it towards her. But Cristina transformed herself into smoke and dissapeared. You looked around with your weapon ready "Why go through with this, Cristina?" you yelled through the room, trying to get a sign from her "Ezio has given you a endless life that only exists from blood drinking and hiding from the sun all the time. Why do you want this cruel fate for yourself?!" you yelled, suddenly you heard Cristinas voice echo through the room. "You have not seen Ezio the way I have! The night he came to me he was devastated, scared and lonley!" the voice said "I couldn't stand to see him suffer like that, I will allways stay with him!" Cristinas voice said, it sounded like it came from behind you. You turned around and saw smoke gather, that transformed into Cristina again "The world will belong to Ezio!" Cristina said as she grabbed two short swords she had hidden under her clothes "now be a good boy/girl and die!" she screamed and charged towards you. 

You grabbed your sword and stopped Cristinas charge, but another attack was on its way, she tried to stab you with her right sword but you stopped it in time. You pushed Cristinas sword away with yours, pulled back and raged your sword forward to stab her. Cristina squated and evaded your attack and counter attacked you from below, the adrenaline was raging through your body, you stepped away and evaded Cristinas sword, but her other sword shot forward and stabbed you in your leg, you hissed from pain and stepped back. Cristina stood up, she balanced on one foot and a small blade appeared from under her shoe where she tried to sidekick you with. You jumped out of the way, grabbed your pistol and aimed it at Cristina, the vampire jumped to the side and charged towards you. She pushed you on the ground, which made the pistol fel out of your hand, you tried to get up, but Cristina holded your head down with her foot, she was surprisingly strong. She kneeled over your body as she still held you down, she smiled softly as she looked at you "You do have a beautiful neck" she whispered as she licked her fangs. Cristina brought her face down to your neck, however, Cristina was distracted long enough so you could take a dagger that you had on your belt. With full force you stabbed the dagger in Cristinas eye. The vampire lady screamed out from pain, she went off from you and tried to get the dagger out. You stood up quickley, you took the small wooden stake you hade taken with you, charged forth to Cristina and stabbed the stake through her hearth. Cristina gasped, shaked and trembled for a moment, before she fel dead on the ground. You dropped yourself on the ground and catched a breath, you looked at the dead vampire with the stake in her hearth, she twitched a few times but she did not show any other signs of life anymore. 

You treated the wound on your leg, gathered your stuff and walked to the rope. You gave Cristina and the tombs one last look before you climbed into the rope and on your way to the church. After a few minutes you grabbed the edge of the tunnel and pulled yourself up. You went up the staircase and into the church, when you came into the Santi Giovanni e Paolo church again you ran towards the enterance, you opened the doors and entered the streets of Venice.

( The story is nearly at an end, hopefully you still enjoy it. Feedback is allways welcome, cheers! )


	15. You vs Ezio

The moment you stepped outside the church you knew something was wrong. The sky was soldid black, just as dark as the tombs. You looked to the belltower of the church, it was one o'clock, afternoon allready, but Venice was covered in complete darkness, not one bit of light was to be seen. The streets where abandoned, only a few corpses littered the street.

"Ezio must have attacked the city allready" you thought as you looked around you. "Hopefully there are some survivers somewhere" you thought. You ran into the dark streets, you had to find out what happened to the people, with a bit of luck you would find Ezio as well, if he didn't find you first. You turned left into one of the streets while you still tried to figure out where everybody could be. The most logical thing to you seemed that the people tried to evacuate te city, so you had to go to the docks. You ran further but stopped when you saw two figures comming your way, first you thought they where citizens, but then you saw the moving, shuffeling bones, it where two of the skeletons Ezio summoned. They saw you and charged towards you, one was armed with a sword the other with a spear. You drew your sword and ran to them as well, you evaded the spear of one skeleton, copped of his arm bones, and sliced off his skull. The other one attacked you with the sword, you evaded it and used the blunt side of your sword to crush his ribs, it made him fall down. When the skeleton laid on the ground you seperated its skull from its body and moved on. Again you took a few streets left and right and crossed a few bridges, except from some bodies and skeletons the streets where empty. You noticed that there where to few bodies on the streets for the city to be exterminated, so the people did go somewhere safe. 

You came near the docks, but you stopped from shock, the ships where on fire, some of them where allready sunk. "Ezio did cut off their road to escape" you thought and looked around. You heard a loud growl behind you, you took a throwing knife, turned around and throwed, the knife hit the head of a ghoul that tried to attack to you. You took back your knife and thought where to go next "Where could everybody have gone if escaping was not an option" you thought "Churches perhaps, or they all gathered and fortified themselves at the Doge's palace".  
You deceided to go look for the Doge's Palace first, you continued your way through the streets, killing some more ghouls and skeletons among the way. You looked at the sky, you knew that the apple was powerfull, but this was insane, it was like a black carpet was thrown over the entire city, maybe even beyond. When your reached the buildings surrounding the San Marco's plaza you stopped and looked on one of the rooftops, there you saw a person standing, overlooking the Plaza. you narrowed your eyes and saw it was Ezio.  
You gasped soflty but quickly put your hand for mouth, you didn't want him to hear you. Shaking, you stood on the street for a while, you did not dare to make a sound and doubted of what to do, your pistol could not reach Ezio from down here, you had to get on top of the building.  
You ran on your toes to the wall, keeping an eye on Ezio. You pressed yourself to the wall and climbed on a box that stood next to it, from the box you climbed on a windowsill while holding on to a crack in the walls. Slowly and steady you climbed up, while you made sure Ezio did not saw you. He had his attention focussed on something that happened on the San Marco's plaza, when you reached the rooftops you saw where Ezio was looking at. His army was attacking the Doge's Palace, so everyone did go there for saftey. You looked to your right, Ezio was still focussed on the Palace, step by step, you sneaked forward towards him. 

Ezio stood motionless on the rooftops on one of the buildings that surrounded the San Marco's plaza, he looked how his army besieged the Doge's Palace "They have put up a good fight, I have to give them that" Ezio thought as he caressed the apple in his hand. Ezio looked how his giant ghouls where smashing down the doors of the palace, some of the guards fired their guns and crossbows from out of the windows, taking out a few of Ezio's minions. The vampire smirked, it didn't matter anymore, as soon as the doors would fall, Venice would be his. Ezio gained a victory smirk on his face, but it dissapeared when he felt someones presence, Ezio closed his eyes and concentrated on his magic. 

You aimed your pistol at the vampire and fired, but before the bullet hit him, Ezio was turned into smoke and flew past you. You turned around quickley, but Ezio was allready trasformed back and punched you in your face, it made you fall down. You crawled back on the rooftops as you watched at Ezio in front of you with the apple in his hand, giving you a nasty smirk. "I must say I am impressed" Ezio said "Even when you are completley alone and destiny is in my favour you still manage to escape and surprise me" he said. You tried to crawl up a bit "But it doesn't matter anymore, the apple is mine, soon Venice will be mine" Ezio said as he gave the siege a quick look and turned his attention back to you and his eyes narrowed "But that is not the thing I desire most" he whispered "No, the one thing that will satisfy me...is drinking your blood (your name), I would love nothing more to give you the kiss of dead" Ezio hissed and drew his sword "After I have defeated you in battle, take up your sword!" You stood up quickly and drew your Milanese sword while Ezio had his ready, you looked at his sword, you never had the chance to observe it . It looked truely beautiful. The sword was forged from a smooth, silver metal, with its cross guard shaped like an eagle's wings, and the pommel in the motif of an eagle's head, the style did not look Italian. "Your sword, is it Syrian?" you asked, Ezio smiled and nodded "It belonged to one of my ancestors, his name was Altaïr, this is the best sword I have" Ezio said as he circled the sword around a bit. "I have waited for this moment quite some time" Ezio said as he drew his attention back to you, you smiled "To be honest, so have I" you said. For a second it remained quiet, and then both of you charged eachother with a loud warcry. 

Your sword and Ezio's clashed together, you drew back on the same time as he did, and both of you attacked again, making your swords meet again. You pulled back and tried to attack Ezio, but he skillfully evaded your attack and counter attacked by swinging his sword through the sky. You would be headless if you didn't dive just in time, you stood up again but Ezio kicked you way back on the rooftops with his foot. You where kicked a few meters backwards on the rooftops, you could stop yourself just in time before you reached the edge of the roofs. Ezio slowly came closer towards you, with his sword and fangs thirsty for blood. You grabbed your pistol, aimed and shot at Ezio, but the vampire raised up the apple and the bullet turned to dust. "You might have the better weaponry, but I have the magic" Ezio smiled to you "Now say hello to an old friend" Ezio said and made a high, terrifying scream. You gasped as Ezio's body transformed into a Vargheist, you tried to reload your pistol quick, but Ezio's transformation was complete. The Vargheist jumped into the sky and landed near you, you did not have time to react, you rolled aside, but this made you fall from the rooftops. For a moment it seemed like you where going to fall to your death, but you landed softly, in one of the many haystacks that where randomly scattered through the city for some reason. 

You jumped out of the haystack and ran to one of the streets, the Vargheist jumped from the roofs and followed you. The Vargheist prepared its claws to penetrate you, but before he could, you turned into a street left, which made the Vargheist hit the wall. You ran further as you reloaded your pistol with shaking hands, the Vargeist recovered and followed you again, screaming loudly. You turned around and aimed at the Vargheist, but the fast flying creature evaded the bullet, and flew towars you. you grabbed your dagger for self defence and tried to brace yourself, but the beast throwed its full body weight on you and pushed you on the ground. You laid on the ground with the Vargheist on top of you, you tried to keep the long, knife like teeth away from you the best you could. You freed your arm that holded the dagger and stabbed it into the Vargheists arm, the beast screamed and loosened his grip on you a bit which gave you a chance to escape. Before the beast could attack you again you crawled into a small tunnel in the wall, it was probably a sewer, but it was way to small for the Vargheist to go through. As soon as you reached the exit of the tunnel on the other side of the wall, the Vargheist flew in the sky to get across the building. You reloaded your pistol quickly and aimed at the sky, preparing for the Varghesit to appear, but he didn't show, in fact, it was quiet, horribly quiet. This made you nervous, you kept looking at the sky as you walked back, with your pistol ready. You looked behind you, there was a open market place behind you, you slowly walked out of the street as you still kept an eye on your surroundings. You where a couple of steps away from the market place, until you heard a loud roar, you looked to your left and saw that the Vargheist jumped out of a sidestreet and forward onto you. 

You fel back on the ground and grabbed your left shoulder, the beast its claws had made deep wounds inside your shoulder. you crawled back on your elbows as the Vargheist stepped closer and closer towards you. Then you saw something that gave you an idea, above you was a large net filled with crates hanging on a pulley. When the beast was underneath the net, you aimed your pistol on the rope that holded the net and fired. The bullet broke the rope, the net fel down and the large heavy crates, crashed down on the Vargheist. You stood up and catched a breath when you saw the Vargheist was not moving for a while, but then he turned into smoke, the smoke flew passed you again and went to the market place, their it transformed into Ezio again. "Nice try, but no" Ezio said to you and charged towards you, you dived and Ezio's razor sharp sword cut a market stand in half. You fel on the ground, and quickly rolled under one of the market stands to evade Ezio's next attack, again the wood was shattered by Ezio's sword. You came out from under the stand and held your sword ready, you tried to attack, but Ezio was faster and his sword slided through the sky, cutting in your right arm. You pressed your hand on your arm as you ran away to search for cover behind the markets fountain, your hands where shaking and your breathing was heavy, all this was requiering a lot of energy, especially now that you where loosing blood. You looked over your shoulder from behind the fountain, Ezio walked towards you, smirking. Your shaking hand went into your bomb pocket and you grabbed a garlic bomb. You activated it and threw it over to Ezio, but before the Garlic sent could fill the air, Ezio had transformed into smoke again and flew over the fountain until he landed in front of you, transforming into Ezio again. Ezio smiled to you as he caressed the apple again, you stood up and stepped back a little with your sword drawn. "you haven't seen anything yet" Ezio hissed and stepped forward towards you. You stepped back and narrowed your eyes, "Something must be wrong with my eyes, I am seeing double" you thought as you looked at Ezio, it was like his form multplied. But then your eyes widened, the astral forms that seemed to come from Ezio went furhter and further away from his body, until they started to get a shape of their own. You gasped as you realized you stood against 5 Ezio's, the original one was in the middle with black robes, the two on his left wore a white and green robe, and on his left the Ezio's wore a brown and red robe. 

"Well thats new" you joked as you looked at the 5 Ezio's spreading out with their swords drawn. You prepared immediatley as the four Ezio's on the sides charged your way, you braced for one and stopped the attack of the brown coat Ezio, and evaded the attack of the red coat Ezio. You tried to run away as the four Ezio's followed you "I have to take them on one at a time, if I at least want to stand a chance." you thought. You went into a street, but was stopped because it was a dead end, you tried to run back, but three Ezio's blocked your way and closed in on you. "I have to play this smart" you quickly thought, "Fighting them won't be a very good idea". You looked around for options, but there was no other way to escape, suddenley you gained an idea, you opened your bombpocket and threw out a smoke bomb. A tick smoke covered the area, which left the three Ezio's confused, you kept close to the ground and quickly moved your way through the smoke. When you came out you saw the Ezio in the white suit in front of you, he must have arrived a little later. You did not waste time and charged forward with your sword, you penetrated his chest with it, the white coat Ezio gasped and dissapeared into smoke. You looked behind you, the smoke had cleared and the 3 remaining Ezio's came after you. You ran away from them as your eyes searched the street for possibilities, then you saw one, a ladder leading to the rooftops. You climbed up the ladder and the Ezio's followed you, the one with the red coat came up first, when you where half way up the ladder you stopped, drew your pistol turned around and shot. The bullet penetrated the red coat Ezio's head, it made him fall from the ladder, just before he hit the ground, he dissapeared as well. You wanted to use your sword to keep the other two at bay, but they where closing in to fast. You climbed further on the ladder and ran over the rooftops, you had some time before the other two Ezio's came up, you hid yourself behind a chimney. The two remaining Ezio's came on the rooftops and looked over the rooftops, you peeked over your shoulder to see what they where doing. One was going left and the other was going the right way, to search for you. You remained behind your cover, waiting for one to get close enough or get distracted. You watched left and right, carefully watching the movements of the two Ezio's. The one in the green coat was the closest to you, he stood just 2 or 3 meters away from you and searched behind the other chimneys. You crouched towards him, as soon as you were close enough you jumped up and penetrated the green coat Ezio in his back with your sword. The green coat Ezio screamed and dissapeared, only the brown coat remained, he heard the screaming and rushed towards you. The last Ezio was quite a distance away, which gave you time to prepare, you opened your bomb pouch and threw a fire bomb at the brown coat Ezio. As soon as the flames filled the rooftops, the last one dissapeared as well. 

You watched the fire burning on the rooftops for a few seconds before you deceided to move on and search for Ezio. But it appeared he allready found you, because suddenly you could not move your body anymore. No matter how hard you tried to move your arms and legs, they refused to obey. When you felt a hand slide over your back you panicked a little. Ezio steped forward from behind you and stood in front of you with the glowing apple in his hand. Ezio raised up the apple a little and you started hovering a few inches. Ezio smiled as he watched you for a while, trying to break free, but it was useless, the vampire stepped slowly closer to you. "You have been quite the opponent (your name)" he said "but now I must make an end to it, I am growing thirsty". Ezio laid his fingers on your neck and played with it with his fingers "I shall not finish it to quick" he said "I want you to enjoy it as much as I do" he said and brought his face to your neck, you gave your last effort to escape, but the apples magic kept you in bondage. Ezio kissed your neck gently a few times before he showed his long, sharp canines and planted them carefully in your neck. 

You gasped as you felt the two sharp fangs penetrate your neck, you breathed heavy from fear while Ezio slowly slurped your blood through the small wounds. You remembered what you had learned at the acedemy for Witch hunters: When a vampire bit you, you would not die instantly, it would take a while. First you did not feel anything like that yet, but after a few secconds you noticed it. It was like someone was squeezing your throat, and you slowly ran out of breath. You breathed faster and faster, but you did not gain oxygen, you felt the life slowly dissapear from your body, with every drop of blood that Ezio swallowed. Your legs became numb, and where the first to loose their feeling. You gasped as you felt your legs die, after that your middle and upperbody where drained from life, only Ezio's lips and fangs where to be felt by your body. Ezio placed his lips on you like he was kissing his lover, but it slowly devouered your life and soul . When your upperarms began to fel numb as well, you shed a last tear and tried to move your arms one last time, before they where completly dead. You did not notice however, that you succeded in moving your arm a little, the motion of your arms made the small hidden blade from your wristband appear, the hidden blade cut open your bomb pocket, and one bomb fell out. 

A thick, greenish smoke filled the area on the rooftops, a garlic bomb was exploded. Ezio screamed loudly from pain, which made him drop the apple. Because Ezio did not hold the apple anymore, the magic was neutralised, you dropped on the ground, you gasped for air, and immediatley a warmth filled your body. Ezio tried to recover himself and search for the apple, he saw it roll away, to the edge of the rooftops. "NOO!" he screamed and jumped to the apple, but he was to late, the apple fel from the roofs, down a couple of meters and into the water of the canal. Ezio hissed from fury, vampires could not cross water, let alone swim, he lost the apple. You recovered yourself and with shaking hands you picked up your sword. Ezio looked enraged to you and grabbed his sword as well, both of you where weakened, you, because you lost much blood, but also Ezio because he came into contact with garlic. Ezio charged you and attacked you with his sword, you could block it, but every movement requiered so much energy. Ezio attacked again and again, every time you where just able to block it, but your body was exhausted and blood poured out of your wounds. However, something happened in the sky, the black clouds where turning lighter, and at some point they dissapeared, letting through rays of sunlight. Because Ezio did not control the apple anymore, the dark magic slowly vanished from the area.  
Ezio attacked you and pushed you down the ground. You tried to stand up, but Ezio pushed you down, raised his sword up and prepared to run you through. you closed your eyes "this is my last moment" you thought. But then one dark cloud dissapeared above you, and a beam of bright sunlight was shining on you and on Ezio. Ezio stepped back and screamed from pain, you opened your eyes and saw that part of his face charred and burned away. Ezio cried out as he tried to protect his face with his hand, he was distracted, you gathered all your strenght, stood up and took your sword. With all your power you stabbed your sword inside Ezio's chest, penetrating his hearth. 

Ezio gasped and his body twitched, the sunlight was getting brighter and warmer as well. Ezio stuttered something and looked at you, you looked back at him. Ezio's whole face was charred and slowly reduced to ash. The two of you kept eye contact the entire time, you breathed heavy and Ezio sufficated while his whole body, shaked, burned and fel apart. For a last couple of seconds your eyes looked into the vampires brown ones, weird enough it seemed like an eternity, but then Ezio's body lost all its shape and crumbled in front of your eyes. Ezio fel down on the ground, you stepped back and looked to him, nothing but some black ash was left of him, Ezio was dead. "G..goodbye Ezio" you stuttered as you dropped your sword and fel on the ground from exhaustion. 

The people in the palace where overrun by the army of the undead. They had gathered inside a room and thought this would be their end as they looked at the skeletons surrounding them. But suddenly the skeletons stopped moving, and in the next seconds they fel apart and crashed on the ground, remaining motionless. 

Councillor Battaglia was fighting Giovanni in the palace, the two swords clashed a few times. Giovanni disarmed the councillor and aimed his sword to the man. But then Giovanni saw his hands started decaying and falling apart, he looked outside and saw the sun shining, the magic of his son was gone. Before he could do anything, his flesh rotted away, and a skeleton with some clothes fel on the ground. 

Isabella, Emilia and Allessandra along with some guards tried to defend the hospital wing against a horde of ghouls led by Federico and Petruccio. The brothers and the ghouls prepared to attack, but then Federico and Petruccio noticed their flesh was liquifying, also the ghouls behind them seemed to rot away. Petruccio was getting scared and ran to Federico to hug him thight. Federico closed his arms around his little brother as the two of them decayed and fel as skeletons on the ground. 

For a moment everybody was quiet in the palace, some still crying and scared that the dead would rise again, but after a few minutes nothing happened. When everybody looked outside and saw the sun shining in the blue sky, the palace exploded in a wave of joy. Everyone screamed from victory and happyness, people hugged eachother an cried happy tears, some started dancing randomly. Everyone was happy, happy that they had survived the night. 

You still laid on the ground of the rooftops where you collapsed. With your last bit of energy, you had ripped of some of your clothes and treated the wound on your arm, you also tried to put some preassure on the wound on your shoulder, by pressing your hand against it. Your wounds stopped bleeding, but you felt the energy fade away, your vision became dark, you turend your head to your left a bit where you saw a little pile of ash, the remains of Ezio. When a soft breeze blew it away, you lost consciousness, the last thing you heard where people running down on the streets, some of them climbed up the ladder and screaming "He/she is here!"


	16. Endings

You opened your eyes and quickly looked around, you where in a room somewhere. You lifted yourself up on your elbows and looked around better, you noticed that you laid on a bed, this was the hospital wing of the Doge's palace. You looked to your arm, your wounds where properley treated with bandage. A ray of light came in from the window, you looked behind you, the sun was shining and the sky was blue. You smiled at first, and then laughed from happyness, it was over, Ezio was defeated, the dark magic was gone.

The doors of the hospital wing opened, you looked to the doorway and saw Isabella, Emilia, Allessandra and councillor Battaglia. The three girls smiled wideley and ran towards you to draw you in for a big hug. You opened your arms to greet them, the girls came near you and almost crushed you in their arms. You hissed lightly as you felt them pressing the wound on your shoulder. "Oh, sorry" Isabella said, and the three girls stepped back a little. Councillor Battaglia came towards you as well, to give you a thight hug first and a firm handshake following. "You have no idea how happy we are to see you" the councillor said to you "When Ezio's army attacked us we thought we where lost, you where our only hope, and you came back" the councillor said with a wide smile on his face. You smiled back, for a moment you did not know what to say "I must say, there where moments that I was lucky to survive" you said as you showed your neck, the bitewounds from Ezio where visable. The three girls and the councillor gasped "Oh no" Emilia said softly, Isabella stuttered "Does this...mean...that...", but you shaked your head "I will not turn into a vampire" you said "remember I examined Cecilia's body? I found out Ezio was not contagious" you said and the four people exhaled relieved. "Speaking of Ezio, where is the apple actually?" Allessandra asked.  
"When Ezio was biting me, I was able to activate a garlic bomb, it made him drop the apple" you said "it rolled from the rooftops into the canal, Ezio did not retrieve it, because vampires can't swim" you said. Councillor Battaglia rubbed over his head "I shall gather some men to retrieve the apple and put it in the vaults" he said, but you shaked your head. "Isn't it better to leave it there signore?" you asked "The five of us are the only ones who know where it is, nobody else does. And I doubt anyone will notice a dark coloured orb laying at the bottom of a 5 meter deep canal. " you said.  
"What is your point exactly (your name)?" he asked "Well, if we retrieve it, someone will try to steal it again" you said "Think about it, Ezio wanted to have it, Rodrigo Borgia wanted it, and no doubt thousands of others want something this powerfull. Maybe its better if we leave it there, where no one knows about it" you said. The councillor was thinking for a while, but he quickly nodded his head in agreement. "Your right, maybe its better this way" he said. 

Celebrations where held across Venice today, it was to cellebrate how the city survived the assault of Ezio's army. Also elections where to be held to deceide who would be the new Doge. You stayed in Venice a couple of more days to recover, and because the councillor ensisted you to be with the celebrations. 

A large, wooden stage was set on the San Marco's plaza, on the stage where you, Isabella, Emilia, Allessandra, councillor Battaglia, a few guards and one other councillor. The citizens of Venice stood in large numbers in front of the stage, waiting for the councillor to speak. The other councillor began "People of the Serene republic! I am happy and honoured to announce, that Juliano Battaglia da Venezia, by your approval, is elected as the new Doge of Venice!" The councillor said. Everyone started applauding as councillor Battaglia stood up, and accept his title as Doge from the other councillor. You applauded as well as you watched the councillor, or now Doge shine with pride. When everyone was quiet again the Doge stepped forth to speak "My dear people, the passed few weeks have been extremly hard for Venice" Doge Battaglia said "As you all know, our city was terrorized and attacked, by the vampire Ezio Auditore da Firenze. He had killed everyone who stood in his path, and would stop at nothing, until the city would be his dark playground!" the Doge said and cleared his throat before he continued "But the threat also lurked inside our city, inside the Doge's palace." the Doge said " The Templar order, lead by Rodrigo Borgia. They had made a plot, a plot that would turn Venice into a slave of the order!"the Doge said, many people where mumbeling to eachother.  
The doge continued his speech "Venice would either be a slave to the order or to Ezio, if it wasn't for one person!" The doge spoke, and a smirk grew on your face "Not only did he/she stopped Ezio from taking the city, but he/she also discovered the plot of the Templars!" the Doge said and looked at you "(your name) please come forth" the Doge said to you, as soon as you stood up and walked to the Doge, a thundershock of applause was to be heard. You stood in front of the new chosen Doge with a wide smile on your face, the doge smiled as well. "(your name), you have done a great favour for our city and its people! We want to give you something to show our eternal grattitude!" the Doge said and signed one guard to come forth. The guard carried something, it was a light blue piece of clothing. The Doge took it in his hand and showed it to you, it was a light blue cloak with the banner of Venice printed on it. "This cloak shows that you are a friend of Venice, both loved and honoured by its people!" the Doge explained as he handed the cloak to you, you gladly accepted the gift, you bowed for the Doge as you took the cloak in your hand. "Thank you signore, I shall wear this with pride" you said, and again a loud applause was to be heard. 

The Doge handed you your payment, along with a large sum of bonus money as well. When the ceremony was over, the celebrations could begin. Firewoks where lit, food and drinks where all around, people where dancing, laughing and singing, many of them wearing the traditional carnival masks, Venice was back to its former glory. You did join the cellebrations as well, but you went to your room early, you wanted to give your still healing body a good rest. 

You where walking across a beautiful road, somewhere in central Italy, you where mostly healed and wore the Venetian cloak over your shoulder. You looked around and enjoyed the sun and gorgeous landscape, the long road ran over small, green hills with some trees and small forests spread across the land, there was a river on your left, and also some ancient Roman ruins where spread across the area. You closed your eyes and inhaled relaxed, but then there was a breeze of wind, it blew away your Venetian cloak. "no" you said as you tried to grab the cloak, but it flew away from the road, to some of the ruins. You ran after the cloak, the wind was calming down, and the cloak came back down. You sighed relieved as it landed somewhere in the ruins. you walked in the ruins and turned right, you stopped when you saw someone, a man, he looked at the cloak and bended over to take it up. You walked towards the man, "I believe this is yours" the man said friendly and handed the cloack to you. "Yes, thank you" you said as you took the cloack, the mans voice did sound familiar. You looked at the man and gasped...it was Ezio who stood in front of you. 

Ezio smiled friendly to you, he did not wear his black robes this time. He was dressed in a long white shirt with a open collar, there where wristbands on his underarms. He wore a black, sleeveless vest with white patrons over his shirt. There was a thin belt walking over his middle. He wore a brown pants with long, black boots, his brown hair was tied in a small ponytail behind his head. You stepped back and prepared to attack, but you noticed something, the sun was shining, and Ezio could stand in the sunlight without burning to death. Your eyes fel on him again "This must be human Ezio" you thought. Ezio raised both his hands slowly "Easy, I am not here to fight you" he said smiling "I am the soul that was exchanged to the dark powers" he said. You calmed down and stepped closer to Ezio to take a closer look, indeed, he looked more...human. "What are you doing here?" you asked, Ezio smiled "I wanted to thank you" he said, you looked confused "I killed you, why would you thank me?" you said.  
"For me, you have laid my body to rest" Ezio explained "When you killed me, the pact with the dark powers was broken and my soul was released, however I had no body to go to, so it means I am dead" Ezio said, this made you even more confused "then why can I see you, and talk to you?" you asked. "I shall explain that in a moment" Ezio said and walked to the edge of the ruins, there was an amazing view over the river and valley where Ezio was standing. Ezio sat down on the ground and patted on the ground next to him, inviting you to take place. You doubted for a second, but you walked towards him and placed yourself next to him. 

"You know, when the apple fel in the water during our fight, I was furious" Ezio said calm "I thought that I would never see my familiy again now that I lost the apple, but now that I am dead as well, I have peace with it." he said. "Really, why?" you asked curious. Ezio inhaled "Well, I had brought them back to the world of the living, it may have been for a day, but it was the best moment I had in my life." Ezio said "They are now back in the land of the dead, but so am I" Ezio said and looked at the river "Their spirits are out there, somewhere, I know it, and I will find them." Ezio said and kept quiet for a moment, you looked at Ezio for a while, the setting sun was shining on his face, his brown eyes looking at the soft streaming water of the river, his chest went back and forth by a steady breathing. You gulped, vampire Ezio was allready handsome, but human Ezio was just gorgeous. You slowly brought your hand towards Ezio's hand, your hearth was beating in your chest as your hand touched his warm hand. Ezio squeezed in your hand and you squeezed back, you felt his hearth beating as well ( another proof that he was no vampire anymore ). "When I heard how your family met their end, I felt so sorry for you" you said softly, without looking away from him "You might have been my enemy, but I understood every motive you had for bringing back your family" you said. Ezio released your hand and threw his arm over your shoulder, you blushed a little as he pulled you closer to him "Thats thoughtfull of you (your name), grazie" he said, it made you smile. 

"You know, you where the first vampire I encountered who's main motive was not absolute power, but revenge and bringing back his loved ones" you said as you bended your head slightly and laid it on Ezio's shoulder "But I had to stop you, If you continued thousands of people would have suffered and died, I just could not let you finish your intentions" you said, Ezio smiled and brought his face to your ear "But I have finished them" he said, you looked him in the eye "What?" you asked. Ezio nodded "you said it your self, my motives where resurrection and revenge" he said "I have brought my family back to life, even if it was for a while. And Rodrigo Borgia, the man who made the plot to kill my family, has died, so I have had my revenge as well." he said, you made a small smile "So thats also the reason you have peace with your dead" you said, Ezio nodded. 

Ezio and you where sitting in the ruins, watching over the landscape for a while. Ezio told you his story, about what he did after his family was killed, how he hunted down the Pazzi's. He told you how he turned into a vampire, that he and Cristina joined up and freed Sextus from his prison, and how the three of them wandered Italy, looking for answers to bring back Ezio's family. You listened attentively as your head rested on Ezio's shoulder. When Ezio was done talking you both kept quiet for a long while and enjoyed the sight together. "Such a beautiful place" Ezio whispered, you nodded "It sure is, where are we actually?" you asked as you couldn't remember how you got here. Ezio raised his shoulders "I don't know, its your dream" he said, you looked at Ezio with wide eyes "This is a dream?" you asked and Ezio nodded "Yes, I was just lucky my spirit could visit and talk to you" he said, now it made sense to you, that was why you could see Ezio. Ezio stood up "I have to go (your name)" he said, you stood up as well, a bit dissapointed that he had to leave. "Will I see you...well...your spirit again?" you asked, Ezio thought for a moment "maybe, I am not sure" he said. Ezio looked you in the eyes, your eyes kept contact for a while, then Ezio walked slowly towards you. He encirkled you in his arms and hugged you thight, you hugged him back and laid your head on his chest, despite it was clothed you could feel the warmth from his body comming through. Ezio brought his face to your neck and kissed you gently on the spot where the bitewounds where. "Goodbye (your name)" he whispered to you "Goodbye Ezio"you whispered. 

You opened your eyes, you where in your bed in the room of the Doge's palace in Venice. You threw the blankets off from your body and sat up, outside it was dark, but you could still hear the music and celebrations. You stood up and walked to your desk to get a cup of water, you where a bit dizzy "I should have gone easy on the wine" you thought as you poured in some water from a tin can into a cup and drunk it. There was a mirror in your room, you walked to it and looked into the mirror, when you saw your reflection you stood still and thoughts flowed in your mind for a while. You pulled down your shirt a bit and saw the scars that remained from Ezio's fangs, you rubbed over them softly and closed your eyes, it was like you could still feel his lips on your neck. You opened your eyes again and looked into the mirror to the scars on your neck, Ezio was the first vampire that achieved to bite you, but for some reason you where not ashamed of these scars, you even thought they looked rather beautiful. You sighed as you looked to your face in the mirror, you remembered every vampire you encountered in your career: Vlad Dracula, Count Baltasar the bloody, Conrad Voltaire, Heinrich von Jungen, Grünhilde Fleischer. But Ezio Auditore da Firenze... He was the only one who did not only have a special place in your mind, but also in your hearth, and the weird thing was, you didn't even know why. 

( I hope you enjoyed my story, I shall start at new ones as soon as the inspiration flows in, hugs! )


End file.
